Rheological Characterization and Printability of Polylactide (PLA)-Alumina (Al2O3) Filaments for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM).

This article presents the study of the rheological properties and the printability of produced ceramic-polymer filaments using fused deposition method (FDM) 3D printing technology. Powder mixtures with an alumina content of 50 to 70 vol.% were fabricated by a wet processing route. A series of rheological experiments of the obtained mixtures were conducted in the temperature range from 200 to 220 °C for the commercial polylactide (PLA) powder and from 200 to 240 °C for ceramic-polymer, which corresponds to the recommended temperatures for 3D printing of commercial PLA filaments. The composition with the maximum content of alumina leads to a powdery material in which the molten polymer is insufficient to measure the rheological properties. In spite of this, the filaments were prepared from all the obtained mixtures with a tabletop single-screw extruder, the diameter and surface profile of which were analyzed. As the ceramic content increased, the diameter and surface roughness of the filaments increased. Therefore, it was only possible to print an object from a filament with the lowest ceramic content. However, the print quality of the 3D printed objects from the fabricated ceramic-polymer filament is worse (imperfect form, defects between layers) compared to the commercial PLA filament. To eliminate such defects in the future, it is necessary to conduct additional research on the development of printing modes and possibly modify the software and components of the 3D printer.

The Influence of Surface Texturing of Ceramic and Superhard Cutting Tools on the Machining Process-A Review.

Machining is an indispensable manufacturing process for a wide range of engineering materials, such as metals, ceramics, and composite materials, in which the tool wear is a serious problem, which affects not only the costs and productivity but also the quality of the machined components. Thus, the modification of the cutting tool surface by application of textures on their surfaces is proposed as a very promising method for improving tool life. Surface texturing is a relatively new surface engineering technology, where microscale or nanoscale surface textures are generated on the cutting tool through a variety of techniques in order to improve tribological properties of cutting tool surfaces by reducing the coefficient of friction and increasing wear resistance. In this paper, the studies carried out to date on the texturing of ceramic and superhard cutting tools have been reviewed. Furthermore, the most common methods for creating textures on the surfaces of different materials have been summarized. Moreover, the parameters that are generally used in surface texturing, which should be indicated in all future studies of textured cutting tools in order to have a better understanding of its effects in the cutting process, are described. In addition, this paper proposes a way in which to classify the texture surfaces used in the cutting tools according to their geometric parameters. This paper highlights the effect of ceramic and superhard textured cutting tools in improving the machining performance of difficult-to-cut materials, such as coefficient of friction, tool wear, cutting forces, cutting temperature, and machined workpiece roughness. Finally, a conclusion of the analyzed papers is given.

Evaluation of Mechanical and Electrical Performance of Aging Resistance ZTA Composites Reinforced with Graphene Oxide Consolidated by SPS.

This paper presents a study of Al2O3-ZrO2 (ZTA) nanocomposites with different contents of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The influence of the rGO content on the physico-mechanical properties of the oxide composite was revealed. Graphene oxide was obtained using a modified Hummers method. Well-dispersed ZTA-GO nanopowders were produced using the colloidal processing method. Using spark plasma sintering technology (SPS), theoretically dense composites were obtained, which also reduced GO during SPS. The microstructure, phase composition, and physico-mechanical properties of the sintered composites were studied. The sintered ZTA composite with an in situ reduced graphene content of 0.28 wt.% after the characterization showed improved mechanical properties: bending strength was 876 ± 43 MPa, fracture toughness-6.8 ± 0.3 MPa·m1/2 and hardness-17.6 ± 0.3 GPa. Microstructure studies showed a uniform zirconia distribution in the ZTA ceramics. The study of the electrical conductivity of reduced graphene oxide-containing composites showed electrical conductivity above the percolation threshold with a small content of graphene oxide (0.28 wt.%). This electrical conductivity makes it possible to produce sintered ceramics by electrical discharge machining (EDM), which significantly reduces the cost of manufacturing complex-shaped products. Besides improved mechanical properties and EDM machinability, 0.28 wt.% rGO composites demonstrated high resistance to hydrothermal degradation.

Processing and Characterization of Spark Plasma Sintered SiC-TiB2-TiC Powders.

SiC-TiB2-TiC composites with matrices consisting of semiconductor material (SiC), conductive materials (TiB2-TiC), or their combination were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 2000 °C in a vacuum under a pressure of 80 MPa for 3 min. The composition and microstructure of the obtained composites were studied by X-ray diffraction and a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive detector. The flexural strength, Vickers hardness, and fracture toughness of SPSed samples were determined. Based on the observations in this work, three variations of the sintering process were proposed with different matrix compositions. The dense (99.7%) 60SiC-25TiB2-15TiC vol.% sintered ceramic composites exhibited the highest strength and hardness values of the studied composites, as well as a fracture toughness of 6.2 MPa·m1/2.

Zirconia Reduced Graphene Oxide Nano-Hybrid Structure Fabricated by the Hydrothermal Reaction Method.

In this work, we report an available technique for the effective reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and the fabrication of nanostructured zirconia reduced graphene oxide powder via a hydrothermal method. Characterization of the obtained nano-hybrid structure materials was carried out using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The confirmation that GO was reduced and the uniform distribution of zirconia nanoparticles on graphene oxide sheets during synthesis was obtained due to these techniques. This has presented new opportunities and prospects to use this uncomplicated and inexpensive technique for the development of zirconia/graphene nanocomposite powders.

The Influence of Wire Electrical Discharge Machining Cutting Parameters on the Surface Roughness and Flexural Strength of ZrO2/TiN Ceramic Nanocomposites Obtained by Spark Plasma Sintering.

In this work, we characterized the mechanical and electrical properties of zirconia-based ceramic nanocomposites reinforced with 30 and 40 vol. % TiN and fabricated by spark plasma sintering. In addition to their improved mechanical performance, these compositions have sufficient electrical conductivity to allow wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM). The influence of WEDM variables on the roughness and the mechanical strength of samples was analyzed after each cut. The experimental results showed that the roughness of machined surfaces can be reduced by variations in WEDM manufacturing regimes, and, consequently, a drastic drop in flexural strength of workpieces can be avoided. Furthermore, the composites with higher content and homogeneous distribution of the conductive phase exhibited better surface quality as well.