Investigation On Tribological Properties Of 3D Printed ABS And Molded ABS

• Main Author: Norashid, Norjannahtul Ainah
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: T Technology (General); TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Online Access: http://eprints.utem.edu.my/id/eprint/23966/; http://plh.utem.edu.my/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=115585

Meniscus injury are one of the most common knee injury. Meniscus is a piece of cartilage between a femur and tibia that provides a cushion and stabilize the joint. It also has a function to protect the bones from wear and tear. The meniscus can be torn that caused by direct contact or pressure from a forced twist or rotation. Patient may replace the damage meniscus when injured but, it will cause the changes in the cartilage load distribution which lead to degenerative arthritis. It also can be weaken and wears thin across the time. The meniscus can be replace by using biomaterial such as ABS Polymer. Therefore in this study, 3D printed and molded ABS was used for comparison. The main purpose of this study is to determine the absorption properties and compare the tribological properties between the 3D printed and Molded ABS under a lubricated condition. The printed ABS is fabricated by using FDM technique. Surface roughness and weight gained percentage for both types of ABS also been measured. The tribological testing was conducted by using tribometer according to standard of ASTM G99-95a which is standard test for wear testing with a pin-on-disc apparatus. The test conducted by using different applied load which is between ranges of 20N to 55N with sliding speed of 100 rpm for 1OOOm. To determine the wear track obtained from the tribological test, a 3D non-contact profilometer had been used. The result of coefficient of friction and wear rate was obtained from the tribological testing. From the result, it shows that 3D printed ABS have higher COF but lower wear rate. It have a higher COF because of the rougher surface roughness that increases the real contact area. Besides that, it have lower wear rate because the existance of the porosity that acts as the lubricant reservoir. The absorption rate for 3d printed ABS is higher compare to molded due to pores form during the fabrication. Therefore, 3D printed ABS is suitable to be used as meniscus as it can imitate the natural meniscus.