An Investigation on Mechanical and Thermal Behavior of <scp>PP</scp>/<scp>SEBS</scp>/<scp>SiO₂</scp> Composite Fabricated by <scp>FDM</scp> Technique

ABSTRACT In the present work, the fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique was used to produce PP/SEBS/SiO 2 composite and optimize the melting temperature, yield strength, and impact strength of printed samples. The parameters of print speed, nozzle temperature, and SiO 2 content were selected to study the thermal and mechanical behavior of the composite. Furthermore, the fracture surface of the printed parts was analyzed by SEM images. The results showed that the melting temperature of the composite was significantly enhanced (8.3%) by the addition of SiO 2 nanoparticles, but with the increase of nozzle temperature and print speed, a slight change was observed in the melting temperature (1.8% and 1.2%). In addition, the improvement in the yield strength of the composite (33%) was obtained at SiO 2 content of 2.5 wt%, because the particles were well distributed in the PP matrix. Also, the impact resistance of the composite was enhanced (30.2%) with the increase of print speed, while the increase of nozzle temperature and SiO 2 content reduced the impact strength (15.3% and 23.3%). The concurrent enhancement of the melting temperature, yield strength, and impact resistance of the PP/SEBS/SiO 2 composite was obtained by a print speed of 80 mm/s, a nozzle temperature of 240°C, and SiO 2 content of 2.8 wt%.