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Tribological Characterisation and Modelling for the Fused Deposition Modelling of Polymeric Structures under
Feiyang He1, Chenyan Xu2, Muhammad Khan1
1Centre for Life-Cycle Engineering and Management, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK.
Polymers
|October 28, 2023
Summary
This study explores how ABS, PC, and PLA plastics affect friction in fused deposition modeling (FDM). It found that layer thickness and infill density influence friction, with lubrication effects depending on surface texture.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Tribology
Background:
- Additive manufacturing, specifically fused deposition modeling (FDM), is increasingly used for plastic components.
- Limited research exists on the tribological properties of FDM-printed ABS, PC, and PLA under various lubrication conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of material type (ABS, PC, PLA), lubrication (non-lubricated, oil, grease), layer thickness, and infill density on FDM component tribology.
- To develop a predictive model for the coefficient of friction (CoF) in FDM parts.
Main Methods:
- Experimental tribological analysis using a TRB3 tribometer.
- Full-factor analysis to model relationships between variables.
- Validation tests on different materials.
Main Results:
- The coefficient of friction (CoF) ranged from 0.04 to 0.2.
- CoF generally increased with layer thickness and decreased with infill density.
- Lubrication's effect was dependent on material surface texture.
Conclusions:
- A reliable model predicting FDM component friction was developed with an average error of 3.83%.
- The findings provide fundamental insights into FDM material tribology for various applications.
Keywords:
3D printingABSPCPLAcoefficient of frictioninfill densitylayer thicknesslubricationwear rate
