Rapid tooling fabrication using 3D printing

Abstract

In this work, a comparative study has been conducted for the evaluation of the frictional wear performance of virgin high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and HDPE composite. The HDPE composite was tailored with three particle sizes of Al2O3 (300 grit, 400 grit, and 500 grit as per American foundry society (AFS) No.) and each has a 3.33% proportion by weight in the 90% HDPE matrix. The specimens have been fabricated on fused deposition modeling (FDM) setup. Further pin-on-disc setup was used for wear testing. The experimentation has been performed under 5, 10, 15, and 20N loads by varying the rotational speed of the disc mounted by SiC abrasion surface (1200 grit). The effect of filler materials, rotational speed, and load applied on the frictional wear performance of virgin HDPE and HDPE composite were realized with the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and wear maps. The wear maps outlined that the wear and specific wear rate for the HDPE composite matrix were better. Furthermore, the results also reported that the specific wear increases with the increase of applied load and the sliding distance. Finally, a computer-based program has been formulated to establish a relationship among the responses (wear, friction force, specific wear, friction coefficient, and specimen weight loss) in terms of a correlation matrix.