This experimental study investigates the mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites containing nanofiller developed by fused deposition modelling (FDM). A novel polymer nanocomposite was developed by amalgamating polycarbonate-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC-ABS) by blending with graphene nanoparticles in the following proportions: 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 wt %. The composite filaments were developed using a twin-screw extrusion method. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength, low-velocity impact strength, and surface roughness of pure PC-ABS and PC-ABS + graphene were compared. It was observed that with the addition of graphene, tensile strength and impact strength improved, and a reduction in surface roughness was observed along the build direction. These properties were analyzed to understand the dispersion of graphene in the PC-ABS matrix and its effects on the parameters of the study. With the 0.8 wt % addition of graphene to PC-ABS, the tensile strength increased by 57%, and the impact resistance increased by 87%. A reduction in surface roughness was noted for every incremental addition of graphene to PC-ABS. The highest decrement was seen for the 0.8 wt % addition of graphene reinforcement that amounted to 40% compared to PC-ABS.
Keywords: FDM; graphene; mechanical properties; polymer nanocomposite.