Comparative study of compression, tensile and shear tests of carbon fiber- and noncarbon fiber-reinforced materials used in FDM technology

Purpose This paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the changes in compressive, tensile and shear mechanical properties of glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) and acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) materials resulting from the addition of carbon fibers (CF). Design/methodology/approach Specimens are manufactured in accordance with the standard specifications set for each test type. Subsequently, compression, tensile and shear tests are conducted in a laboratory setting. The resulting data are employed to ascertain the most illustrative properties of these materials, thereby facilitating a comparative analysis of their properties compared to the same materials without carbon fiber addition. Findings The data illustrate a notable improvement in the modulus of CF materials in comparison to the same material without carbon fiber addition. In comparison to non-CF ASA filament, ASA CF material is shown to exhibit a 24% increase in compressive modulus and a 39% increase in modulus of elasticity. Furthermore, PETG CF demonstrated a 29% increase in compressive modulus compared to non-CF PETG filament, along with an increase of up to 193% in specific compression modulus. Additionally, the shear modulus of ASA CF is observed to increase by 56%. In contrast, PETG CF demonstrated a modest 14% increase in compression modulus. These results indicate the possibility of exploring innovative applications of filament deposition modeling (FDM) printing, where the enhanced attributes of these materials are essential. Originality/value A thorough literature search revealed that previous studies has concentrated on the examination of materials such as polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), with minimal attention paid to other materials that are commonly utilized in FDM, including PETG and ASA.