Bulk elasticity modulus of 3D printed pieces with flexible polymers

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to experimentally characterize the bulk elastic modulus of parts built by 3D printing using flexible polymers. The bulk elastic modulus represents the resistance of a material to volumetric change when subjected to compression. The variants of the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filament allow for the construction of highly flexible parts employed for damping elements or vibration suppression. The determination of elastic properties 3D printed elastomers is of interest due to its use in software for modeling mechanical components. The ASTM D395 standard is used to conceive the experimental protocol to be applied in a multiple purpose testing machine built ad-hoc for non-conventional tests, originaly developed in the lab CIMTA of UTN-FRBB. The study evaluates the influence of various configuration parameters of the 3D printing procedure of the specimens.