Mechanical and Fracture Characteristics of BN–Graphite Reinforced PLA Processed by Twin-Screw Extrusion and FDM
摘要
This paper is an investigation of the mechanical behavior of fused deposition modeling (FDM) additives integrated and reinforced with boron nitride (BN) and graphite combined, in a single and integrated system with filament produced by a controlled twin-screw extrusion. The four material systems were neatly extruded into 1.75 ± 0.05 mm filaments in 4 systems (PLA, PLA + 3 wt.% graphite, PLA + 3 wt.% BN, and PLA + 3 wt.% BN + 3 wt.% graphite) and printed with the same FDM parameters (0.2 mm layer height, 100 percent infill, and 0 deg raster). The filler dispersion and filament morphology were uniformly confirmed by SEM and EDAX. The Shore D hardness of neat PLA was 51, and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was 38 MPa. Incorporation of 3 wt.% of graphite gave 62 hardness (21.5%) and 45 MPa UTS (36.8%), whilst 3 wt.% BN provided 66 hardness (29.4%) and 52 MPa UTS (36.8%). The highest hardness (69, 35.3%) and UTS (60 MPa, 57.9%) were of the hybrid BN-graphite composite. A shift between the fracture that was brittle in plain PLA and the tortuous crack-defended and cohesive fracture in the hybrid was observed using fractography and an affirmation of synergistic reinforcement and enhanced load-transfer effectiveness.