Quasi Static and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of 3D Printed ABS and Carbon Fiber Reinforced ABS Composites

Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is the most popular and widely used additive manufacturing process for printing polymer and composite products. Various production factors influenced the strength and stiffness of the part manufactured by 3D printing. A comprehensive experimental analysis was conducted in this study to examine the effect of FFF process parameters (infill density, pattern, and layer thickness) on mechanical properties and failure mechanism. The tensile, flexural, and impact test specimens were printed using ABS and carbon fibre reinforced ABS filaments in accordance with ASTM standards. Furthermore, dynamic properties are studied using dynamic mechanical analysis to estimate the loss factor and glass transition temperature under the impact of temperature and frequency in addition to static properties. Further, the results showed the addition of carbon fiber in ABS increases the mechanical properties. The failure modes are studied using optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy images and it has been visualized that due to improper layer deposition, poor bonding between the previous layer and low infill density creates a void in the specimen which results in poor mechanical properties. The Dynamic Mechanical Analysis showed that at higher frequency the molecular movement decreases which in turn stabilizes the composite behavior and reduces the loss factor.