Faculty:
Dr. Lai Jiang
Tel: (936) 261-9927
Email: lajiang@pvamu.edu
Research Interest:
Composites manufacturing processes, Biocomposite materials, Additive manufacturing and 3D printing, Manufacturing process modeling, simulations and optimization, Engineering design, Sustainable and green manufacturing
Research Activities:
1. Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) of Composites using Bio-fiber Textile Reinforcements Infused with Thermoplastic Resins
• This process has a high printing speed and printing resolution
• No additional supporting structure needs to be printed
• Biofiber sheet stock infused with vanillin-based bioresin and/or other thermoplastic resins as feedstock
Figure 1. Schematic of the LOM 3D printing system
2. Optimize FDM 3D printing process based on the real-time thermal monitoring data collected by a high-speed infrared camera
• To avoid defects in FDM 3D printing such as poor adhesion, debond, cracks, and porosities in 3D printing
• Thermal and visual data collection during the original FDM process;
• Ultrasonic flaw scanning and mechanical tests (i.e., tensile, peel resistant tests) to evaluate the material properties and part quality.
• Damage-sensitive features identified to be extracted from data collected during the AM process;
• Printing parameters (i.e., print nozzle temperature, material flow rate, and printing speed) optimization;
• Ultrasonic flaw scanning and mechanical tests will be performed again to evaluate the material properties and part quality after optimization.
Figure 2. Schematic of the optimization of FDM 3D printing process
Selected Publications:
1. X. Peng, D. Zhang, D. Zhang, and L. Jiang, “Simulation of Flow Induced Multi-Particle Motion Using Finite Element Method,” in the Proceedings of International CAD Conference and Exhibition, July 6-8, 2020, Barcelona, Spain.
2. L. Jiang, X. Peng, and D. F. Walczyk, “3D Printing of Biofiber-reinforced Composites: A Review,” Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 1113-1129, Jun. 2020. doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-08-2019-0214.
3. L. Jiang, D. F. Walczyk, G. McIntyre, R. Bucinell, and B. Li, “Bioresin infused then cured mycelium-based sandwich-structure biocomposites: Resin transfer molding (RTM) process, flexural properties, and simulation,” J. Cleaner Production, vol. 207, pp. 123-135, Jan. 2019, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.255.
4. L. Jiang, D. F. Walczyk, and B. Li “Modeling of glue penetration into natural fiber reinforcements by roller infusion,” J. Manuf. Sci. Eng., vol. 140, no. 4, pp. 041006.1-11, Feb. 2018, doi:10.1115/1.4038514.
5. L. Jiang, D. F. Walczyk, G. McIntyre, R. Bucinell, and G. Tudryn, “Manufacturing of biocomposite sandwich structures using mycelium-bound cores and preforms,” J. Manuf. Pro., vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 50-59, Aug. 2017, doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2017.04.029.
6. L. Jiang, D. F. Walczyk, and G. McIntyre, “A new approach to manufacturing biocomposite sandwich structures: investigation of preform shell behavior,” J. Manuf. Sci. Eng., vol. 139, no. 2, pp. 021014.1-11, Feb. 2017, doi:10.1115/1.4034278.
7. L. Jiang, D. F. Walczyk, G. McIntyre, and W. K. Chan, “Cost modeling and optimization of a manufacturing system for mycelium-based biocomposite parts,” J. Manuf. Sys., vol. 41, pp. 8-20, Jul. 2016, doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2017.04.029.
Major Research Equipment:
• 34TM-10 Instron 5230 UTM
• Carver 12-10H thermal press
• Mark-10 M2-500 force tester
• Vevor K40 Laser engraver
• FLIR E5-XT infrared camera
• Gilson MA-32 Oilless Diaphragm Vacuum Pump
• Raise3D Pro2 Plus 3D printer
• Stratasys uPrint SE Plus 3D printer
• FormLabs Form 2 3D printer