Investigation on hardness, impact, and compression responses of additively manufactured functionally graded nanocomposites

Functionally graded nanocomposites (FGNCs) are fabricated using 3D printing for hardness, impact and compression investigations with different wt. % (0.5-H0.5, 1-H1, 3-H3, 5-H5) of functionalized MWCNTs in high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Further, they are extruded as feedstock filament for 3D printing. The hardness, impact strength, and compressive properties increase while the energy absorption decreases with a % increase in the functionalized MWCNTs. The highest hardness, impact strength, compressive moduli, and strength observed for FGNC-2 (H1-H3-H5) are 76.80, 119.99, 61.14, and 11.56%, respectively, higher than HDPE. The betterment in the mechanical properties is attributed to the strengthening and stiffening effects due to the homogeneous distribution of the functionalized MWCNTs in HDPE. The FGNC-2 exhibited the highest me-chanical properties, and can be used in various applications wherein variational stiffness is required.

Automated summary

In this study, functionally graded nanocomposites (FGNCs) were fabricated using 3D printing, and their hardness, impact strength, and compressive properties were investigated with different weight percentages of functionalized MWCNTs in HDPE. The results show that the mechanical properties improve with an increase in the weight percentage of functionalized MWCNTs, with the highest observed for FGNC-2. The improvement is attributed to the strengthening and stiffening effects of the homogeneous distribution of functionalized MWCNTs in HDPE. FGNC-2 demonstrates the highest mechanical properties and can be used in applications requiring variable stiffness.