Programmable Shape Transformation of 4D Printed Fibre-Reinforced Composites

Abstract:

4D (four-dimensional) printing is an innovative manufacturing tool for creating smart, shape-morphing materials extending the capabilities of additive manufacturing (3D printing) to minimise complex manufacturing and part assembly, whilst potentially reducing the energy consumption required in part creation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of 4D printing of fibrous constructs utilising discontinuous carbon and glass fibre reinforcements in multilayer architectures. As the final step of 4D printing process, the shape transformation is achieved by controlling the gradient of in-plane thermal shrinkage through the thickness at the single-layer level. A critical understanding of how printing conditions govern the development of anisotropic molecular chain alignment is essential for achieving targeted morphing behaviour. It has been observed that several key factors influence the morphing mechanism, including the alignment of molecules through the nozzle, flow speed changes during deposition, extrusion temperature and post-print cooling rate. Anisotropic molecular chain alignment arises from rapid cooling near the polymer's glass transition temperature, resulting in the locking of aligned molecular chains, and consequently generating shrinkage strain, within the printed multilayer composite. It was observed that asymmetric cooling and complex thermal boundary conditions, coupled with the influence of fibre reinforcement on thermal conductivity and local cooling dynamics, play a significant role in determining the degree of anisotropy. This research demonstrates how multilayer fibre-reinforced composites can be strategically engineered to enable programmable shape-morphing behaviours without relying on dual-material or multi-directional printing; thus, opening new applications for 4D printing of fibre-reinforced components.

• Periodical: Solid State Phenomena (Volume 381)
• Pages: 3-8
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-LLM6Xr
• Online since: December 2025
• Authors: Erdem Yildiz*, Byung Chul Kim, Richard S. Trask
• Keywords: 4D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Discontinuous Fibre Reinforced Composites, Molecular Chain Alignment, Morphing Composite Structures

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