Materials and Design Selection of NFC Filament for the Shark Fin Antenna Using Hybrid Method

Abstract

This study demonstrates the application of natural fiber composite (NFC) filaments in the manufacture of shark fin antennas via 3D printing technology. The research commences with three conceptual designs developed with SolidWorks, a computer-aided design (CAD) software. The designs are being evaluated for their aerodynamic qualities using Solidworks Flow Simulation tools. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is employed to evaluate a dataset. The rank with the highest value of Ci is selected as number one. Design 3 is chosen because to its superior Ci value of 0.995, accompanied by a drag force of 0.457 N, a coefficient of drag of 0.457 N, and a surface pressure of 101821.69 Pa. The NFC filaments PLA/Wood are printed using the fused deposition method (FDM) in compliance with ASTM D638 for tensile test and ASTM D790 for flexural test. The characteristics fluctuate at infill densities of 50%, 75%, and 100%. Fifteen specimens are being printed, with five specimens allocated for each parameter. The experimental results were recorded and tabulated with data from a prior study involving PLA/Coconut and PLA/Bamboo. The TOPSIS approach is employed to identify the optimal material for the shark fin antenna. PLA/Wood was identified as the optimal material, exhibiting the greatest Ci value of 0.6025, a tensile strength of 37.46 MPa, a tensile Young's modulus of 1663 MPa, a flexural stress of 65.187 MPa, a modulus of elasticity of 2694 MPa, and a cost of RM 72.00. Finally, the shark fin antenna is produced by 3D printing based on specific design and material specifications. The study indicates that the mechanical properties of natural fiber composites can be determined by mechanical testing in accordance with ASTM standards. Conversely, the TOPSIS technique is applicable when selecting from several alternatives based on various criteria.