Abstract
In this work, strain rate sensitivity was studied for 3D-printed polycarbonate (PC) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) materials. Specimens were fabricated through fused filament fabrication (FFF) additive manufacturing (AM) technology and were tested at various strain rates. The effects of two FFF process parameters, i.e., nozzle temperature and layer thickness, were also investigated. A wide analysis for the tensile strength (MPa), the tensile modulus of elasticity (MPa), the toughness (MJ/m3) and the strain rate sensitivity index ‘m’ was conducted. Additionally, a morphological analysis was conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on the side and the fracture area of the specimens. Results from the different strain rates for each material were analyzed, in conjunction with the two FFF parameters tested, to determine their effect on the mechanical response of the two materials. PC and TPU materials exhibited similarities regarding their temperature response at different strain rates, while differences in layer height emerged regarding the appropriate choice for the FFF process. Overall, strain rate had a significant effect on the mechanical response of both materials.
Highlights
Additive manufacturing (AM) has been one of the most foremost manufacturing technologies over the last 10 years, either in the industrial [1] or in the academic communities [2]
Strain rate is an important parameter related with dynamic loadings, which are very common in mechanical parts
Studies have been presented on bulk materials, research on the effect of strain rate on fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printed parts is very limited and no similar study has been presented so far for the mechanical response of FFF 3D printed specimens with PC and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) materials
Summary
Additive manufacturing (AM) has been one of the most foremost manufacturing technologies over the last 10 years, either in the industrial [1] or in the academic communities [2]. The building material is originally in filament form, which is heated to temperatures close to its melting point and extruded, to be deposited in different patterns in a sequential layer-by-layer fashion, through a nozzle moving in the X and Y directions, until the required geometry is built. This process creates an anisotropic behavior in the built parts [11]. The FFF 3D printing building parameters, such as the layer height, the extrusion temperature and the build pattern, significantly affect the mechanical response of the FFF built parts and have been thoroughly studied in literature [12]. The sensitivity of the polymer mechanical properties to flow rate, 3D printing speed and other FFF technology parameters, which are described in more detail below, enhance the anisotropy of the 3D printed parts [13]
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