Fatigue response of multiscale extrusion-based additively manufactured acrylonitrile butadiene styrene-graphene nanoplatelets composites

This study investigates the effect of varying concentrations of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) on the mechanical and fatigue characteristics of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)/GNPs nanocomposites, both in filament form and as 3D -printed parts with different raster orientations. Quasi -static and cyclic loading tests were performed on specimens containing 0.1 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 1.0 wt%, and 2.0 wt% GNPs. The results indicated that the addition of 0.1 wt% GNPs to the ABS polymer matrix increased the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the filament by 18 %. Addition of 1.0 wt% and 2.0 wt% GNPs to the matrix improved the Young ' s modulus of the filament by up to about 35 % but did not enhance the UTS. The filament containing 0.5 wt% GNPs demonstrated the highest fatigue life, even higher than that of the standard samples fabricated through injection molding technique. This was due to its high static strength, Young ' s modulus, and ductility. However, when the ABS/GNPs nanocomposites were 3D -printed, the addition of GNPs had no major impact on their fatigue life, especially in the higher load levels. Inadequate adhesion and reduced interlayer bonding strength resulted in a detrimental impact on fatigue life of 3D -printed objects. The extrudate-swell phenomenon seems to significantly affect this reduction in fatigue life. To address this, larger nozzle diameter (0.6 mm) was used in fabricating 3D -printed samples. Results indicated that samples with less distortion and smaller extrudate-swell had higher fatigue life. It highlights the importance of considering GNP concentration and printing parameters for optimal fatigue properties in ABS/GNPs composites.