Effect of Reinforcement with Short Carbon Fibers on the Friction and Wear Resistance of Additively Manufactured PA12

Reinforcing thermoplastic materials for additive manufacturing with either short, long, and continuous fibers or micro/nanoparticles is a sound means to enhance the mechanical/tribological properties of functional 3D printed objects. However, despite the fact that reinforced thermoplastics are being used extensively in modern applications, little data are found in open literature regarding the effect of such reinforcements on the friction and wear characteristics of additively manufactured objects. Therefore, this article presents a comparative study that aims to investigate the friction and wear behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide 12 (CF-PA12) as compared to pure polyamide 12 (PA12). The test specimens were prepared by selective laser sintering (SLS) at five different build orientations and examined using a pin-on-disc tribometer in dry sliding mode. The coefficient of friction (COF), interface temperature, friction-induced noise, and specific wear rate were measured. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to inspect the tribo-surfaces. The results revealed that both the COF and contact temperature of CF-PA12 are orientation-independent and are lower than those of pure PA12. Also, it was found that, compared with pure PA12, CF-PA12 has 25% smaller COF and 15–40% higher wear resistance. Further, the SEM of tribo-surfaces showed that adhesive wear dominates the surface of pure PA12, while both adhesive and abrasive wear patterns coexist in CF-PA12. Moreover, fiber crushing and thinning were observed, and this, under some circumstances, can result in a considerable increase in frictional noise.