Tensile Properties of 3D-Printed Polycarbonate/Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites

Abstract

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is highly commercialized Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology for its ability to build complex parts with low cost in a short period of time. The process parameters in the FDM play a vital role in the mechanical properties of the polymeric parts. Most of the research studies show that the variable parameters such as orientation, layer thickness, raster angle, raster width, and air gap are some of the key parameters that affect the mechanical properties of FDM-processed polymeric parts. However, no reports have been made regarding the influence of nozzle diameter with raster width on the tensile properties of FDM fabricated polymeric parts. This work was devoted to achieving improved and isotropic mechanical properties in polycarbonate (PC) and PC/carbon nanotube (PC/CNT) nanocomposites by investigating the effect of printing parameters in FDM process. The nozzle diameter to raster width ratio, α was found to significantly affect the mechanical properties. The printing direction dependency in tensile properties were studied with the ratio α < 1 and α≥ 1 at three different raster angles of 0°, 45°/−45° and 90°. For α < 1, Ultimate tensile strength and modulus of elasticity were higher for 0°, compared to 45°/−45° and 90° raster angles. However, for α ≥ 1, the ultimate tensile strength and the modulus of elasticity showed little dependency to print direction. This certainly determines the decrease in anisotropy at higher values of α. Mesostructure characterization with microscopy and image analysis were used to further explain the printing behavior and the resultant properties of the printed samples.

Mechanical, electrical, and piezoresistivity behaviors of additively manufactured acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/carbon nanotube nanocomposites

“…With an increase in the application of 3D printing, numerous researchers have focused on the mechanical properties of printed parts. Most of the reported studies have considered the standard mechanical testing methods and revealed the significant effect of print parameters on the tensile [29][30][31], flexural [32][33][34], and compressive [35][36][37] strengths. For more practical and structural applications of 3D-printed parts, the fracture mechanics of printed materials has recently grabbed significant attention.…”

Review on process model, structure-property relationship of composites and future needs in fused filament fabrication

“…The most useful nano-reinforcements are found to be CNTs, [110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118] CNF, 119 GO, 120 xGnP, 112,121,122 and nanoclays, 123 which are used with ABS, PLA, PEEK, PC, and PA12 polymers. Figure 12 summarizes the reported mechanical properties for different nanocomposites.…”