Experimental Study on the Effect of Humidity on the Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed Mechanical Metamaterials
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In this study, six common fused filament fabrication (FFF) polymers-PEEK, PLA, PETG, ABS, Nylon, and TPU-were acclimatized at 15%, 45%, and 95% relative humidity (RH) to characterize tensile behavior, including Young's modulus, maximum strain, and ultimate tensile strength. Separately, mechanical metamaterial samples at relative densities (RD) of 25%, 35%, and 45% were tested in compression at the same RH levels to evaluate stiffness, strength, and Poisson's ratio. The water absorption process can generally be divided into different stages-rapid uptake (0-12 h), a plateau (12-60 h), and a late rebound (60-100 h)-with a total uptake ranking of Nylon > PETG > PLA ≈ ABS > TPU ≈ PEEK. Samples under tensile and compressive tests show a great difference between properties at different RD and RH levels. Poisson's ratio indicates that material responses remain predictable at low-to-moderate RH, whereas high RH serves as a critical threshold inducing abrupt Poisson's ratio behavioral shifts. This study provides systematic validation for the application of 3D-printed metamaterials under varying humidity conditions, such as biomedical implants in human body.
Source: Polymers
Authors: Qian Sun, Xiaojun Tan, Jianhao Man, Shuai Li, Zeeshan Ali, Kaiyang Yin, Bo Cao, Christoph Eberl
Institutions: Northwestern Polytechnical University, Hebei University of Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, University of Freiburg, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Marine Materials, Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,258
OpenAlex ID: W4415813401