Thermo-Mechanical Behavior and Strain Rate Sensitivity of 3D-Printed Polylactic Acid (PLA) below Glass Transition Temperature (T).

This study investigated the thermomechanical behavior of 4D-printed polylactic acid (PLA), focusing on its response to varying temperatures and strain rates in a wide range below the glass transition temperature (T). The material was characterized using tension, compression, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), confirming PLA's strong dependency on strain rate and temperature. The glass transition temperature of 4D-printed PLA was determined to be 65 °C using a thermal analysis (DMTA).

Fatigue Behaviour of Brazed Joints for Heat Exchangers.

The plate heat exchanger (PHE) is a component that provides heat to be transferred from hot water to domestic cold water without mixing them with high efficiency. Over the lifetime of the PHE, cyclic pressures act on the brazing points and the plates, and this may lead to fatigue failure. The fatigue behaviour of the PHE, designed using copper-brazed 316L stainless steel, was investigated in this study.