Influence of Short Glass Fibre Reinforcement on Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed ABS-Based Polymer Composites

One of the most promising and widely used additive manufacturing technologies, fused deposition modelling (FDM), is based on material extrusion and is most commonly used for producing thermoplastic parts for functional applications with the objectives of low cost, minimal waste and ease of material conversion. Considering that pure thermoplastic materials have a significantly poor mechanical performance, it is necessary to enhance the mechanical properties of thermoplastic parts generated using FDM technology. One of the conceivable techniques is to incorporate reinforcing materials such as short glass fibre (SGF) into the thermoplastic matrix in order to produce a polymer composite that can be used in engineering applications, such as structural applications. The morphological and mechanical properties of SGF (short glass fibre) reinforced ABS- (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) based polymer composites created via the method of FDM (fused deposition modelling) were investigated in this work. Properties were evaluated at three different weight percentages (0, 15 and 30 wt%). The composite filaments were developed using the process of twin screw extrusion. The comparison was made between ABS + SGF (short glass fibre) composites and pure ABS of mechanical properties that include surface roughness, tensile strength and low-velocity impact. The tests were carried out to analyze the properties as per ASTM standards. It has been found that the impact strength and tensile strength show an improvement in glass fibre inclusion; moreover, alongside the direction of build, the surface roughness had been reduced. The studies also focused on studying the dispersion characters of SGF in ABS matrix and its impact on the properties. Strength and modulus of SGF reinforced ABS composite has been significantly improved along with reduction of ductility. A 57% increase in tensile strength has been noted for 30 wt% addition of SGF to ABS in comparison to pure ABS. It was also interesting to note the reduction in surface roughness with every incremental addition of SGF to ABS. A 40% reduction in surface roughness has been observed with a 30 wt% addition of SGF to ABS in comparison to pure ABS.