Evaluation of thermal and mechanical properties of continuous fiberglass reinforced thermoplastic composite fabricated by fused deposition modeling

Abstract

AbstractFused deposition modeling (FDM) is utilized to fabricate continuous fiber‐reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTPCs) and can be considered an alternative to conventional processes. In present study, the specimens are 3D printed in Markforged Mark Two composite 3D printer by considering Onyx as matrix material and fiberglass as reinforcing material. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of Onyx and fiberglass materials are done to investigate their thermal stability and composition. The effect of infill pattern and fiber orientation on tensile and drop impact properties are examined. The TGA results show that the initial decomposition in Onyx is higher compared to fiberglass due to more evaporation of moisture content in Onyx. The FTIR analysis confirmed that the spectrum for both materials is same within the range of wave number from 4000 to 1500 cm−1. The tensile test results represent that the specimen with triangular infill pattern and 0°/90° fiber orientation resulted in maximum tensile strength of 148.01 MPa and the drop impact test results showed that the triangular infill pattern with 0°/90° fiber orientation absorbs maximum impact energy which is 14.90% and 8.98% higher compared to honeycomb and rectangular pattern respectively. Further, the fracture behavior study is carried out based on the optical images of fractured specimens.