Role of infiltration rate in strength enhancement of PA6/GF30 composites processed by FDM printing

Abstract

This work examines the influence of 30 vol.% glass fiber additive on polyamide 6 composites that is produced by fused deposition modeling with longitudinal infill pattern. Infill densities were used at 50 vol.%, 70 vol.% and 90 vol.% in 20 vol.% intervals to test the effect of the density on the mechanical performance. The experimental findings indicate that specimens that were printed at 90 % infill had high tensile, compressive, and impact strength. The increased performance is explained by the fact that the interfacial bonding between the glass fibers and the PA6 matrix is improved in that case, full wetting ensures the reduction of voids and stress concentration sites and, therefore, effective transfer of stress. Increased load-carrying capacity and stiffness and reduced fiber pull-out and interfacial debonding are also enhanced by the high-volume fraction of glass fibers. Moreover, generative design with Fusion 360 was very effective in minimizing the material consumption and made the designs stronger. Simulations of ANSYS proved reduction of stress concentrations and deformation of the optimized clutch pedal design. In general, PA6/GF30 at the infill of 90 vol.% is very strong in weight-to-strength properties that can be used in the engineering of lightweight technologies.