Thermal characterization of short carbon fiber reinforced high temperature polymer material produced using the fused filament fabrication process

The objective of this research is to perform the thermal analysis on high-temperature polymer (polycarbonate) based composite material reinforced with short carbon fiber (SCF) produced by utilizing the fused filament fabrication (FFF) process. Different percentages of SCF (by vol.), i.e., pure (0 %), 3 %, 5 %, and 10 %, were taken to fabricate the additively manufactured part for thermal analysis. The entire part manufacturing process was described, starting with material mixture generation, composite filament fabrication with different SCF percentages, and finally, FFF printing. Micrography analysis was performed to observe the fiber behavior, including fiber-matrix adhesion, fiber orientation, and fiber distribution. The thermal behavior was investigated by determining the thermal degradation temperature, viscoelastic properties like loss modulus, storage modulus, and creep behavior at high temperature (100 °C) by varying the SCF percentage. Due to the anisotropic nature of the FFF-made parts, thermal conductivity was analyzed on 0° layup and 90° layup orientations in the X-Y plane to observe the behavior of thermal properties in different directions. The results of the study indicated that the addition of fibers has maintained or improved the thermal properties of PC. The incorporation of SCF has enhanced the degradation temperature and viscoelastic properties of the 3D printed composite parts. Thermal conductivity results also showed a significant improvement with the increase in SCF amount. In summary, PC-based composites with SCF incorporation were found to execute well with FFF technology and allow the fabrication of electronic products and heat exchangers with satisfactory thermal performance.