Fabrication and development of high temperature resisted bronze composites using 3D printed gate pattern through stir casting route

Abstract

Fused deposition modeling (Additive manufacturing method) is used for printing the gate pattern by considering Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), alumina (Al2O3), and silicon carbide (SiC) as raw material. The three compositions of feedstock filaments are ABS −2% Al2O3 − 0. wt % SiC, ABS −2% Al2O3 − 3. wt % SiC and ABS −2% Al2O3 − 6. wt % SiC, which are produced by using melt flow extruder. The melt flow index of three compositions are determined as 2.413 /10 min, 2.403/10 min and 2.389/10 min which are near to ABS melt flow index of 2.44 / 10 min. The gate pattern is prepared by fusion deposition modeling method by considering parameters such as SiC reinforcement (wt %), raster inclination and infill density and best optimal parameter for producing pattern comprising high tensile strength and high flexural strength using Technique Order Preference Similar to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The best set of optimal parameter for printing the gate pattern was found out as ABS −2% Al2O3 −6 wt% SiC, infill density of 50 % and raster inclination 0°. This pattern exhibited average surface roughness of 12.6 µm, tensile strength of 40.5 MPa and flexural strength of 73.1 MPa. The lowest tensile strength of 29.3 MPa was observed for 3 % SiC, 50 % infill density and 30° raster orientation. Using the printed gated pattern via stir casting process, four different compositions of bronze composites are synthesized such as Cu-Sn- 0 wt% B4C, Cu-Sn- 2 wt% B4C, Cu-Sn- 4 wt% B4C and Cu-Sn- 6 wt% B4C. Cu-Sn- 2 wt% B4C composite exhibited maximum hardness, tensile strength and impact strength of 55 HRC, 323 MPa and 279 N/mm2 respectively. The lowest tensile strength, lowest hardness and maximum deviation in dimension of 323 MPa, 38 HRC and 0.144 mm was found out for Cu-Sn-6 wt% B4C. The best optimized pattern: ABS −2% Al2O3 −6 wt% SiC, infill density of 50 % and raster inclination 0° was used as a pattern for producing seven casted cubes (Cu-Sn-2 wt% B4C) which shows average dimension of ± 0.12 mm.