Influence of process parameters on ageing and free vibration characteristics of fiber-reinforced polymer composites by fusion filament fabrication process

Fused filament fabrication is a promising additive manufacturing technology and an alternative to traditional processes for the fabrication of polymer and fiber-reinforced polymer composites. In this work, the effects of process parameters such as layer thickness, infill density, and infill pattern on the ageing and free vibration characteristics of three-dimensional printed composites were investigated. It was observed that the water absorption rate is higher in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) printed specimens compared to carbon fiber reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (CF/ABS) specimens due to the effect of carbon fiber which acts as a strong hydrophobic material. The free vibration characteristic of the printed composite specimen is found as per American Society for Testing Materials standards. From the results, it is found that the 5 % addition of carbon fiber, hexagonal pattern, and 0.30 mm layer thickness show an increase in the vibration behaviour of the composites compared to the specimen printed without reinforcement. Experimental modal analysis was carried out on a cantilever beam-like sample and revealed that the addition of fiber has enhanced natural frequencies and damping ratio.