Experimental investigation on the dynamic response of additive manufactured PETG composite beams reinforced with organically modified montmorillonite nanoclay and short carbon fiber

In this study, the experimental results of the modal analysis of additive manufactured glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) based composites reinforced with short carbon fibers and organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) nanoclay (NC) is presented. The raw materials are compounded and extruded using the twin-screw extruder. The specimens in the beam form are prepared through the fused deposition modeling process, one of the prominent additive manufacturing techniques. The individual and combined effect of reinforcing OMMT nanoclay and short carbon fibers on the natural frequencies and damping factors of PETG composite is investigated by varying their weight percentages. Further, a comparative study is made with the vibration response of pure PETG beam as well. The experimental set-up constituted of an accelerometer, impact hammer, and data acquisition unit is used for vibration studies. Two different boundary conditions, viz. cantilever and clamped constraints, have been incorporated in this investigation. The experimental results reveal that boundary conditions and the weight percentage of reinforcements play a vital role in deciding the frequency and damping parameters of the PETG composite beam.