Journal of Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers ISSN:1738-3692(Print) 2093-7709(Online) 한국농공학회논문집

Most of agricultural structures are consisted of complex components and exposed to various boundary conditions. There have been no ways to express those structures exactly for model experiment. As an alternative, 3D printer can produce any type of solid model. However, there are limited informations related to structural experiments using 3D printer. The object of this study gives the basic informations to structural engineers who try to use 3D printer for model experiment. When PLA was used as a supplier for 3D printer, the outcomes showed less heat deformation to compare with ABS. To test the material properties, two kinds of experiments (three-point flexibility test and compression test) were executed using universal testing machine. In three-point flexibility test, plastic hinge and its deformation were developed as observed in material such as steel. The behavior was in a linear elastic state, and elastic bending modulus and yield force were evaluated. In the compression test using unbraced columns with hinge-hinge boundary condition, the constant yield forces were observed regardless of different lengths in all columns with same section size, whereas the compressive elastic modulus was increased as the length of column was increased. The suggested results can be used for model experiments of various agricultural structures consisted of single material.