Christoper Mayberry

I studied part-time while completing my apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce. The groundwork and theory that I have learned throughout my course can directly be utilised at my job. I have had an interest in Additive Layer Manufacturing and 3D printing ever since it became affordable for the hobbyist.

I chose the area of Additive Layer Manufacturing for my dissertation as I have seen a shift in the manufacturing industry to adopt this technique. There is a large amount of research and study opportunities within additive layer manufacturing that makes the investigation both challenging and rewarding.

Studying at the University of Derby has been a rewarding experience with lecturers who have a great ability to guide and challenge me.

Determine the Capability of Current FEA Methods for Analysis of ALM of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics in Tensile Loading Applications

Project overview

This dissertation investigates the capability of current FEA simulation software and their ability to simulate Additive Layer Manufactured components under tensile loading applications. Additionally, this dissertation also investigates the possibility of lead time reduction with the adoption of Additive Layer Manufacturing.

A 3D printed tool was designed and load tested to find the failure load of the tool. An FEA simulation was then completed upon various models to determine how accurately the software could replicate the stress failure of the tool, to do this an evaluation was conducted between the stress observed during the physical load testing and the FEA simulation. ​

The lead time to produce and manufacture the 3D printed tool was recorded throughout the project. This was then compared to average lead time of tools that were manufactured by vendors using traditional manufacturing methods. The results of this investigation found that one of the models developed were able to reproduce the stresses seen during physical load testing with an accuracy of 20%. The study also concluded that the adoption of Additive Layer Manufacturing can reduce lead times of similar tools by up to 81%.​