Publications
Showing 108 results for Author: Uday K. Vaidya
Mar, 2026
Conference Paper
Toolpath Optimization of Polymer Composite Additive Manufacturing AM Printed Mold to Improve Performance for Compression Molding Applications
This study explores the optimization of toolpaths for short fiber polymer composite additive manufacturing (AM) printed molds in compression molding applications, an emerging trend driven by advancements in 3D printing technology. AM printed molds offer reduced tooling costs and greater design flexibility, particularly for prototyping and low-volume production. The propose…
Dec, 2025
Journal
Sizing comingled CF/PA 6 fibers with cellulose nanofibrils for enhanced performance properties
Compatibility between the reinforcing phase and the polymer matrix is critical to achieving the desired mechanical and thermal performance of composite materials. Several mechanisms can enhance this interfacial interaction, including surface treatments (e.g., oxidation, plasma, or irradiation), in-situ nanoparticle deposition, and fiber sizing. In this study, cellulose nan…
Oct, 2025
Journal
Methodologies and strategies for detecting fiber orientation in polymeric fiber-reinforced composites
In this review paper different methods and techniques for representing fiber orientation in advanced polymer matrix composites are presented. A description of the effect of fiber orientation on processing, fabrication and mechanical properties of a composite material is presented. The paper discusses the mathematical modeling and modeling techniques for fiber structure rep…
Oct, 2025
Journal
Recycling Disassembled Automotive Plastic Components for New Vehicle Components: Enabling the Automotive Circular Economy
As the automotive industry increasingly relies on plastic components to meet fuel efficiency and emissions targets, the challenge of managing end-of-life vehicle (ELV) plastics continues to grow. Currently, more than 80% of ELV plastics in the U.S. are landfilled due to limited economic incentives and technical barriers to recycling. This study examines a mechanical recycl…
Sep, 2025
Journal
Embodied Energy in Pyrolysis and Solvolysis Approaches to Recycling for Carbon Fiber-Epoxy Reinforced Composite Waste Streams
Carbon fiber composites are increasingly used in aerospace, motorcycles, sporting, and high-performance vehicles, and their end of life recycling is of growing interest. This study deals with the life cycle assessment (LCA) of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) waste streams. The embodied energy (EE) of recycling CFRP via two viable methods—i.e., pyrolysis and solvoly…
Sep, 2025
Journal
Effect of toolpath in large-format additive manufacturing with bio-derived composites
There has been growing interest in integrating bio-derived composites into Large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) feedstocks to reduce the use of petroleum-derived materials and reduce the overall carbon footprint of LFAM. However, these materials present unique challenges during manufacturing due to their variability, which can lead to unintended deformations and fail…
Sep, 2025
Journal
Numerical framework for integrated additive manufacturing-compression molding (AM-CM) of thermoplastic composites
Additive manufacturing-compression molding (AM-CM) has emerged as a transformative technology in advanced composite manufacturing. Additive manufacturing (AM) offers high design flexibility and the ability to produce complex geometries with precisely aligned fibers in the preferred orientation. Compression molding (CM) enhances composite materials by providing excellent di…
Sep, 2025
Journal
Macro-level mechanical interlocking: A rapid joining approach for additively manufactured compression molded composite panels
Composite joining typically involves multiple steps, such as drilling and surface treatment, as part of the manufacturing process, which leads to low throughput and long cycle times. In the present study, we demonstrated a macro-level mechanical interlocking (MI) based, rapid joining technique to assemble additively manufactured compression molded (AMCM) panels, enabling t…