Enhancing Tribological Effectiveness of Polypropylene with Carbon Fiber Composites via Fused deposition modeling Technology by Varying Infill Speeds

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a common way to make things faster in manufacturing era today. A mix of polypropylene (PP) and carbon fiber (CF) blended filament is strong and bonded well. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a common way to make things. For this research, made the test samples using a mix of PP and CF filament through FDM printer by varying infill speed of 40 meters per sec 50 meters per sec and 60 meters per sec in sequence. The tested these samples on a tribometer testing machine that slides them against a surface with different forces (from 5 to 20 N) and speeds (from 1 to 4 meters per sec). The findings of the study revealed a consistent linear increase in both wear rate and coefficient of friction across every sample analyzed. Nevertheless, noteworthy variations emerged when evaluating the samples subjected to the 40m/s infill speed test. Specifically, these particular samples exhibited notably lower wear rates and coefficients of friction compared to the remaining test samples in various dry sliding test conditions, encompassing applied load and sliding velocity. This outcome strongly indicates that the utilization of a 40m/s infill speed in the fabrication of PP with CF composites yields enhanced tribological performance. This enhancement can be attributed to the proficient bonding of uniformly distributed particles and the efficient adhesion between successive layers throughout the entire sample structure. Visual scrutiny of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images depicting the worn surfaces further elucidated the underlying wear mechanism. Particularly striking was the observation that samples subjected to the 40m/s infill speed exhibited diminished accumulation of debris and reduced plastic flow in comparison to their counterparts. Findings strongly activist the use of this composite in automotive and aerospace components requiring rotational or oscillatory motion.