Introduction
Mechanical behavior of
acrylonitrile butadiene
styrene (ABS) fused
deposition materials.
Experimental
investigation
Jose F. RodrõÂguez
James P. Thomas and
John E. Renaud
The authors
Jose F. RodrõÂguez is an Assistant Professor at
Departamento de MecaÂnica, Universidad SimoÂn BolõÂvar,
Caracas, Venezuela.
James P. Thomas is a Research Associate at NOVA
Research Inc., Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, USA.
John E. Renaud is an Associate Professor in the
Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering,
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, USA.
Keywords
Deposition, Mechanical properties
Abstract
An experimental study of the mechanical behavior of
fused-deposition (FD) ABS plastic materials is described.
Elastic moduli and strength values are determined for the
ABS monofilament feedstock and various unidirectional
FD-ABS materials. The results show a reduction of 11 to
37 per cent in modulus and 22 to 57 per cent in strength
for FD-ABS materials relative to the ABS monofilament.
These reductions occur due to the presence of voids and a
loss of molecular orientation during the FD extrusion
process. The results can be used to benchmark
computational models for stiffness and strength as a
function of the processing parameters for use in
computationally optimizing the mechanical performance
of FD-ABS materials in functional applications.
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Rapid Prototyping Journal
Volume 7 . Number 3 . 2001 . pp. 148±158
# MCB University Press . ISSN 1355-2546
148
Fused deposition (FD) modeling by Stratasys
Inc., is one of the material deposition sub-
families of solid freeform fabrication (SFF)
technologies. In this process, build material in
the form of a flexible monofilament (~
1.78mm diameter), is heated to a semi-liquid
state and extruded from a robotically
controlled deposition head onto a fixtureless
table in a temperature controlled
environment. The position of the nozzle is
computer controlled relative to the base,
which allows geometric complex models to be
made to precise dimensions (~ 0.125mm). In
FD, the three-dimensional part takes the form
of a laminate composite with vertically
stacked layers consisting of contiguous
material roads or fibers with interstitial voids.
The bonding between neighboring fibers
takes place via thermally-driven diffusion
welding.
The ability of FD to create geometrically
complex parts along with its high degree of
automation endows this process with unique
potential for low volume fabrication of
mechanically tailored functional parts. The
work described in this paper forms part of a
longer term research objective of developing a
computationally automated capability for
designing FD materials with superior
structural properties. To achieve this
objective, the mechanical properties of FD-
ABS materials as a function of the adjustable
FD fabrication parameters must be known or
predictable. The major controlling factor for
the mechanical properties is the
mesostructure, which is controlled, in turn,
by the adjustable fabrication parameters.
Investigations have been conducted to
quantify and to determine methods for
eliminating defects in pre-sintered (green)
ceramic and metal powder parts. Agarwala et
al. (1996) classified surface and internal
defects in green FD ceramic and metal parts,
determined the controlling processing factors,
and suggested changes to eliminate them.
Bosett et al. (1998) developed a real-time
video microscopy system for visualization of
the FD process. They used the system to
quantify void areas for PZT, silicon nitride,
and wax materials as a function of the fiber-
to-fiber gap setting. Negative gap settings
were shown to minimize the voids. RodrõÂguez
et al. (2000) and RodrõÂguez (1999) measured
void densities on the principal material planes
 Mechanical behavior of ABS fused deposition materials
Jose F. RodrõÂguez, James P. Thomas and John E. Renaud
and the extent of circumferential fiber-to-fiber
bonding as a function of fiber-to-fiber gap,
flow rate, and processing temperatures using
cross-section micrographs. They found that a
slightly negative gap minimized the voids and
maximized the extent of bonding. Flow rate
had less influence and the processing
temperatures had very little influence.
The effect of processing conditions on the
mechanical behavior is typically gauged in
terms of the material density and the uniaxial
yield or tensile strength and modulus of
elasticity. Fodran et al. (1996) conducted
tensile tests on FD-ABS specimens built with
different flow rates and fiber layouts, and with
post-build adhesive impregnation. They
found that the processing variables can have a
large effect on the tensile strength and
modulus values and that adhesive
impregnation can provide significant
improvements in the mechanical properties.
Kulkarni and Dutta (1997) performed a
combined experimental/analytical study of the
influence of deposition path on the ``in-plane''
tensile moduli of symmetric FD-ABS
laminates and found that laminate theory can
be used to make reasonable moduli
predictions. Bertoldi et al. (1998) performed
tensile tests on specimens of various
orientation (e.g. xy, xz, yz, etc.) from an FD-
ABS cube built with the ``pseudo-isotropic''
fiber orientation stacking sequence (0 ,
90 ,+45 ,±45 ). They assumed orthotropic
material symmetry and determined the
material's stiffness tensor and strength values
for the various specimen orientations. They
found significant differences in the average
tensile strength and modulus, depending on
specimen orientation, as well as differences in
the failure mode. Gray et al. (1998) report on
the effect of fiber orientation on the stiffness
and strength of FD-ABS and a novel fiber
reinforced polypropylene FD material (short
thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer
fibers). They reported the following tensile
modulus and strength values for the ABS
monofilament and FD-ABS materials with 0
fiber alignment: 2.07Gpa and 25.3MPa
versus 1.55Gpa and 22.4MPa respectively.
The presence of voids in the FD specimens
was suggested as one source of property
reduction. Significantly higher mechanical
property values were obtained for FD
specimens made using pure thermotropic
liquid crystalline polymer (6.1Gpa modulus
and 87MPa strength). Finally, RodrõÂguez et al.
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(1999a, 1999b) measured the effect of the FD
processing temperatures and post-build heat
treatment on the fiber-to-fiber bond strength
in FD-ABS materials. The bond strength
increased with the processing temperatures,
and it was modeled using fracture mechanics
and polymer diffusion theory (Thomas and
RodrõÂguez, 2000).
Method
The FD-ABS specimens made for this study
were fabricated using the Stratasys FDM1600
system. This machine has hardware and
software based parameters that can influence
the material stiffness and strength. The fiber-
to-fiber gap setting, g, has a large influence on
the material density and extent of bonding
between fibers. The fiber cross-section
geometry is controlled by the normalized
extrusion flow rate (specified in terms of the
fiber width in mils), the fiber height, the
extrusion nozzle diameter, and nozzle speed.
The fiber layout can be controlled within each
layer (unidirectional or contour) and between
each layer (fiber rotation angle and aligned
and skewed translation). The extrusion
temperature and envelope temperature
influence the extrudate flow and solidification
characteristics and the thermal-diffusion
bonding process between fibers (RodrõÂguez et
al., 1999a, 1999b). The extrusion process
also influences the degree of molecular
orientation within the extruded fiber and,
hence, its mechanical properties. Parameter
settings that minimize the void and defect
densities and maximize the extent of fiber-to-
fiber bonding produce FD materials with the
maximum elastic stiffness and strength.
The study was conducted in two parts. In
the first part, the mechanical properties of the
FDM1600 feedstock material, i.e. Stratasys
P400-ABS monofilament, were determined.
The second part focused on the mechanical
behavior of unidirectional FD-ABS materials
with three different mesostructures. The
degree of molecular orientation in the
monofilament feedstock and FD materials is
also examined through shrinkage and single
FD fiber mechanical testing.
The P400 ABS monofilament material was
kept in the shipping container (vacuum
packed with desiccant) prior to use in making
the test specimens. During the build
operation, desiccant was kept in the
 Mechanical behavior of ABS fused deposition materials
Jose F. RodrõÂguez, James P. Thomas and John E. Renaud
FDM1600 material containment chamber to
minimize humidity absorption. The ``ozee
test'', described in the FDM1600 operations
manual (Stratasys, 1995) was conducted prior
to building the specimens to verify proper
dry-filament conditions.
The mesostructures examined in this work
include: an aligned configuration with g = ±
25.4m (Figure 1); a skewed configuration
with g = ±25.4m (Figure 2); and a skewed
configuration with g = 76.2m (Figure 3).
The FDM1600 parameters were set at the
values listed in Table I.
Tensile and torsional tests were performed
on specimens of ABS monofilament feedstock
with length L (Figure 4).
The tensile tests were conducted on
specimens with an L = 380mm using a screw-
driven load frame at constant crosshead
speeds ranging from 0.00381mm/s to 0.381
Figure 1 Aligned mesostructure with g = ± 25.4m
Figure 2 Skewed mesostructure with g = ±25.4m
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Figure 3 Skewed mesostructure with g = 76.2m
Table I FD process variable settings
Extrusion temperature 270 C
Envelope temperature 70 C
Normalized flow rate 20 (mils)
Extruded fiber height 0.254mm
Extrusion nozzle diameter 0.305mm
Nozzle transverse speed 12.7mm/s
Figure 4 ABS monofilament specimen geometry
mm/s providing strain rates in the range of
10±5 to 10±3 l/s. Tensile modulus, E, strength,
ys , and strain, "ys , values were obtained from
the stress-strain data. E corresponds to the
slope of the stress-strain curve at zero strain,
ys is taken as the maximum stress reached
during the test (Brown, 1986), and "ys the
corresponding strain at maximum stress.
Torsion tests were performed on specimens
with an L = 1,228mm using the device shown
in Figure 5. Various weights were hung and
the change in angle measured with a
protractor at the free end of the specimen.
Ten replicate measurements for three
specimens were taken for each weight value.
Torque, T, and angular rotation,
, data
were collected during the tests and used to
calculate G via the relation:
T

ˆG ; …1†
J L
 Mechanical behavior of ABS fused deposition materials
Jose F. RodrõÂguez, James P. Thomas and John E. Renaud
Figure 5 Torsion test apparatus
where J is the polar moment of inertia of the
cross-section area.
Once E and G are known, Poisson's ratio,
, can be calculated via the mechanics
relation:
E strengths (Jones, 1975).
ˆ ÿ 1: …2†
2G
Tensile specimens with various fiber
orientations (Figure 6) were fabricated with
the three test mesostructures (Figures 1-3)
and dimensions conforming to ASTM D3039
(ASTM, 1998). The specimens used 1.58mm
thick steel loading tabs bonded using a
Figure 6 Tensile specimens with longitudinal, off-axis, and transverse
fiber extrusion orientations
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cyanoacrylate adhesive (PRISM 454 from
Loctite) to ensure uniform gage-section load
transmission and failure.
FD-ABS specimens were tested under
strain control at constant strain rate at room
temperature and 40-50 per cent RH on a
MTS servohydraulic test system with
computer control and data acquisition. The
strain was measured with an extensometer at
the mid-section of the specimen. Most of the
tests were conducted at a strain rate of
0.0005 s±1; a number of longitudinal
specimens with aligned configuration and g =
±25.4m were tested at strain rates of: 10±2,
10±3, 10±4, and 10±5 to asses strain rate effects
on the strength and material crazing
(microcracking) damage. Strain gages (EA-
13-125BX-350, Micro Measurements)
aligned perpendicularly to the load were used
to determine Poisson's ratio. For the most
part, 10 off-axis tensile specimens were used
for determining the shear modulus, following
ASTM-D3039 (ASTM, 1998). Additional
tests with off-axis angles of 30 , 45 , and 60
were also performed. One advantage of the
off-axis specimen is that measured tensile
strengths can be used to estimate shear
The number of elastic constants for in-
plane loading of the FD-ABS ``laminates'' is
four (orthotropic material symmetry
assumption). The four constants are defined
below:
1P 1 P "Ly
E1 ˆ L
; E2 ˆ T ; 12 ˆ ÿ L ;
"x A "x A "x

12 1
G12 ˆ 2 ‡
E1 sin2  cos2 
 ÿ1
1 cos4  sin4 
ÿ ÿ ; …3†
Ex E1 E2
where P is the load (applied in the x
direction), A the apparent cross-section area,
"Lx the strain in the load direction for the
longitudinal specimen, "Tx the strain in the
load direction for the transverse specimen, "Ly
and the transverse strain for the longitudinal
specimen. Subscripts 1 and 2 denote the
principal material directions. Ex is the
apparent tensile modulus in the loading
direction, and  the angle between the fibers
and loading.
Stress was computed using the apparent
cross-section area (i.e. area without taking
into account the voids). Results from a
 Mechanical behavior of ABS fused deposition materials
Jose F. RodrõÂguez, James P. Thomas and John E. Renaud
minimum of three specimens were used to
calculate the average elastic properties. The
moduli E1 and E2 in the longitudinal and
transverse directions, respectively, correspond
to stress-strain slope values at " = 0. These
slopes were obtained from a least square fit of
the stress-strain data for  in the range of 0 to
6MPa. For Poisson's ratio, 12 , the same
procedure was applied to both transverse and
longitudinal readings and obtained as the
ratio of the slopes. For the elastic moduli
involving direct measurements (i.e. E1, E2,
and 12 ), the reported standard deviations are
based on the three replicate measurements.
For the shear modulus, the standard errors
are calculated using a classical error
propagation analysis of equation (3).
Results
ABS monofilament
Figure 7 depicts the results of ABS
monofilament tensile testing at different strain
rates with subsequent unloading at " = 0.07.
The strength (maximum stress value)
increases with increasing strain rate, and the
slope (modulus) at zero strain is insensitive to
changes in strain rate. The unloading
behavior is strongly non-linear and similar for
all of the test strain rates.
There is an overshoot region that starts at
the point of deviation from linear stress-strain
behavior and is particularly pronounced at the
higher strain rates. As straining progresses,
the slopes of the curves tend to be equal and
close to zero. Crazes are formed along the
specimen during loading such that the
Figure 7 Tensile data for the ABS monofilament at the indicated strain
rates with unloading
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specimen is completely whitened by the time
it reaches the yield stress. The density of
crazing is highest for the largest strain rate. In
all tests, the deformation was found to be
uniform along the gage section of the
specimen, and fracture always occurred
normal to the load with no appreciable
necking.
Figure 8 shows the torsion test data. The
shear stress in the specimen at the maximum
applied torque is approximately 6MPa, well
within the linear elastic range for this material
as the data confirm.
Moduli values with standard error estimates
for the ABS monofilament are summarized in
Table II. The value of 2,230MPa for the
elastic modulus is in reasonable agreement
with the value of 2,400MPa reported by
Stratasys and the value of 2,100MPa reported
by Gray et al. (1998). Poisson's ratio,  =
0.34, is essentially identical with the 0.35
value reported by (Lu et al., 1996) for a
polycarbonate/ABS blend.
Tensile yield stress is plotted against the
logarithm of the strain rate in Figure 9. The
yield strength is logarithmically dependent on
the strain rate for the rate values investigated,
in conformance with the Eyring rate equation
(Brown, 1986):
 

H 2:303kT "_
ys ˆ ‡ log ; …8†
  A
where
H is the activation energy,  the
activation volume, k Boltzmann's constant
Figure 8 Torsion data for the ABS monofilament
Table II ABS monofilament moduli values
E, [MPa] 2,230 ‹ 15
G, [Mpa] 833 ‹ 7.6
 0.34 ‹ 0.02
 Mechanical behavior of ABS fused deposition materials
Jose F. RodrõÂguez, James P. Thomas and John E. Renaud
Figure 9 Strain rate effects on the tensile yield strength of the ABS
monofilament
(1.38054  10±23 J/ K), T temperature in  K ,
and A a material constant. The slope in
Figure 9 gives an activation volume of
2.28nm3 in good agreement with the 2.3nm3
value reported by Chen and Sauer (1990) for
a general-purpose grade ABS.
FD-ABS material
The linear elastic behavior of the FD-ABS
tensile specimens was very repeatable, however
some scatter was observed in the strength
values, particularly for the transverse and off-
axis specimens. Figure 10 shows three sets of
stress-strain data for longitudinal specimens in
the aligned configuration (g = ±25.4m).
Note the similarity of the stress-strain
behavior to that of the ABS monofilament.
During the test, it was observed that crazes
Figure 10 Longitudinal stress-strain response for FD-ABS in the aligned
configuration at a strain rate of 0.0005 s±1
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developed before the yield stress was reached.
Craze nucleation occurred at the specimen
edges and center and then broadened. The
majority of the crazes nucleated prior to
reaching the yield point. Failure occurred at
whitened areas where localized fiber
delamination was observed.
The effect of mesostructure on the
longitudinal stress-strain response is shown in
Figure 11. The responses are similar for the
aligned and skewed configurations with
negative g values, however a considerable
reduction in strength (22 per cent) occurs
with the positive gap skewed configuration.
This specimen also crazed at a much faster
rate. The yield strain is approximately
identical (0.0143) for all three
mesostructures.
The effect of mesostructure on the
transverse stress-strain response is shown in
Figure 12. The change in slope at zero strain
Figure 11 Longitudinal stress-strain response for FD-ABS with different
mesostructures
Figure 12 Transverse stress-strain response for FD-ABS specimens with
three different mesostructures
 Mechanical behavior of ABS fused deposition materials Rapid Prototyping Journal
Jose F. RodrõÂguez, James P. Thomas and John E. Renaud Volume 7 . Number 3 . 2001 . 148±158

(i.e. the modulus) with mesostructure is Figure 14 Strain rate effects on the longitudinal stress-strain response for
significant. The difference between strength FD-ABS (aligned; g = ± 25.4m)
values is slight, and that between yield strains
larger. Whitening of the specimens by craze
formation was not appreciable, and failure
always occurred at a fiber-to-fiber interface.
Figure 13 contrasts the mechanical
behavior for the ABS monofilament with
longitudinal and transverse FD-ABS in the
aligned configuration and g = ±25.4m. The
reduction in both stiffness and strength for
FD-ABS is substantial, especially for the
transversely loaded material. Some reduction
in strain at yield can be observed as well as
manifestation of two modes of failure for FD-
ABS materials. A relatively tough response is
exhibited by the longitudinal specimens with
fracture surfaces normal to the load direction
Figure 15 Strain rate effects on longitudinal yield strength for FD-ABS
and surrounded by a highly whitened (crazed)
(aligned; g = ± 25.4m)
region. The transverse specimens, on the
other hand, exhibit brittle behavior with
failure occurring at the maximum load and
along the fiber-to-fiber interfaces.
Figure 14 shows the effect of strain rate on
the longitudinal stress-strain response for FD-
ABS in the aligned configuration and g = ±
25.4m. The effect of strain rate is similar to
that observed with the ABS monofilament
(Figure 7). A drastic reduction in toughness
(area under the  ÿ " curve) occurs at the
slowest strain rate, something not observed
with the ABS monofilament. Also, the size
and duration of the ``overshoots'' decrease as
the strain rate decreases. The lowest strain
rate also produces very little crazing.
The relationship between the yield strength
FD-ABS material is 2.83nm3, slightly larger
and strain rate is logarithmic in nature, as
than that obtained for the ABS monofilament.
Figure 15 shows. The activation volume for
FD-ABS in-plane moduli with standard
Figure 13 Stress-strain response for the monofilament and FD-ABS error estimates are summarized in Table III.
materials (aligned; g = ±25.4m) A significant reduction in tensile and shear
moduli for the FD-ABS relative to that of the
ABS monofilament is evident on comparing
the values in Tables II and III. The negative
gap moduli are fairly close in value, while the
values for the positive gap skewed
mesostructure are significantly reduced.

Table III FD-ABS moduli values

Aligned Skewed Skewed
Property ±25.4m
mm ±25.4m
mm 76.2m
mm
E1, [MPa] 1,972 ‹ 21 1,986 ‹ 21 1,807 ‹ 11
E2, [Mpa] 1,762 ‹ 24 1,701 ‹ 24 1,400 ‹ 24
n12 0.376 ‹ 0.013 0.384 ‹ 0.012 0.357 ‹ 0.016
G12, [Mpa] 676 ‹ 99 675 ‹ 152 612 ‹ 57

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Jose F. RodrõÂguez, James P. Thomas and John E. Renaud Volume 7 . Number 3 . 2001 . 148±158

Shear modulus values for  =10 , 30 , 45
and 60 are reported in Table IV. All of the
G12 estimates are close in value, but the
standard error for 10 is much larger. This is
due, in part, to the form of the standard error
(SE) expression, which has a term in the
denominator.
The measured tensile yield strengths with
corresponding strains are reported in Table V.
There is a significant reduction in strength for
the FD-ABS material that cannot be
accounted for solely by the loss of load-
carrying material due to voids. This factor is
examined in more detail below in the
``Discussion'' section. The variation in
transverse strength (~1.5 per cent) with
mesostructure is relatively small compared to
that which occurs in the longitudinal direction
(~27 per cent). The longitudinal yield strains
are essentially independent of mesostructure,
averaging about 0.0144, which is (~6 per cent
lower than the yield strain for the ABS
monofilament. The transverse orientation
yield strain values depend on the fiber-to-fiber
gap and are largest for the skewed
configuration at g = 76.2m.
Discussion
The utility of FD processing for the creation
of structural ABS parts depends primarily on
two factors. First, the relative time and cost of
fabricating the part via FD versus other
processes, and second, the mechanical
properties achievable via FD versus other
forms of processing. The second factor has
Table IV FD-ABS moduli values
Angle [deg] G12 ‹ SE [Mpa]
10 676 ‹ 99
30 663 ‹ 20
45 673 ‹ 20
60 677 ‹ 7
Wgt. Avg. 675 ‹ 52
Table V Yield strength and strain values for the FD nad monofilament
ABS at a strain rate of 0.0005 s ±1
ys and "ys ; [Mpa, 1]
Mesostructure Longitudinal Transverse
ABS Monofilament 31.2, 0.0154
Aligned, g = ±25.4m 24.4, 0.0145 13.6, 0.0104
Skewed, g = ±25.4m 21.6, 0.0146 13.4, 0.0107
Skewed, g = 76.2m 17.9, 0.0140 13.4, 0.0131
been addressed in this work. In particular, the
difference between the mechanical properties
of the bulk extruded ABS (i.e. the
monofilament feedstock) and FD-ABS.
Tables II, III and V show that the
mechanical properties of FD-ABS are inferior
to those of the base material from which they
are made. The presence of voids at the
mesostructural level accounts for some of the
decreases. They do result in a lighter weight
material and also provide an opportunity for
tailoring the mechanical performance via
control of the void geometry and distribution.
Filling the voids with another material via
infiltration or other means may also be useful
for endowing the material with a variety of
property improvements.
Standard models for the properties of
unidirectional fiber composites provide
accurate predictions for the modulus and
strength in the fiber direction. These models
account for the loss of load-carrying material
in the cross-section through the use of the
``effective'' cross-sectional area, Aeff:
Aeff ˆ …1 ÿ 1 †A; …4†
where 1 is the void density, and A is the
``apparent'' cross-sectional area. The
longitudinal modulus and strength are given
by:
…E1 †FD ˆ …1 ÿ 1 †E;
…ys †FD ˆ …1 ÿ 1 †ys : …5†
For FD-ABS in the aligned configuration
with g = ±25.4m, 1 = 0.068. From
equations (5):
…1 ÿ 1 †E ÿ …E1 †FD
 100 ˆ 5:4%;
…E1 †FD
…1 ÿ 1 †ys ÿ …ys †FD
 100 ˆ ÿ19:2%: …6†
…ys †FD
The magnitude of these errors is significant
and indicates the influence of one or more
other mechanisms on the mechanical
behavior of the FD-ABS material.
Two mechanisms are considered. The first
involves a change in ``bulk'' properties (E and
ys on the right-hand side of equation (5) that
occurs during FD extrusion. This possibility
is examined below. The second involves the
effect of the void geometry on the local
± stresses and strains, which affect the
macroscale mechanical behavior via craze
nucleation. This mechanism can be examined
using the theory of homogenization
155
 Mechanical behavior of ABS fused deposition materials
Jose F. RodrõÂguez, James P. Thomas and John E. Renaud
(RodrõÂguez, 1999). Accurate prediction of the
other properties (e.g. transverse moduli or
strength) also requires consideration of the
anisotropic failure; ductile fracture under
longitudinal loading and brittle interface
fracture under transverse loading.
The mechanical properties of thermoplastic
polymer materials are significantly affected by
the degree of molecular orientation. A
different orientation distribution between the
ABS monofilament and the FD-ABS
extruded fiber material would produce a
difference in their respective mechanical
properties. Orientation in extruded ABS
depends mainly of two factors: the extrusion
temperature and the extrusion rate (Fritch,
1980). Lower extrusion temperatures and
slower extrusion rates tend to increase the
degree of molecular orientation.
One way of qualitatively assessing the
degree of molecular orientation is through
thermal shrinkage measurements (Fritch,
1980). The amount of shrinkage experienced
when the material is held above its glass
transition temperature, Tg, (94 C for the
P400-ABS), is indicative of the degree of
polymer chain orientation. The larger the
shrinkage, the larger the degree of molecular
orientation in the shrinkage direction.
Shrinkage experiments were conducted on
equal length ABS monofilament and FD-ABS
extruded fiber specimens (L = 101.6mm).
The extruded fibers were produced using the
FD parameter settings of Table I, and four
specimens were used in each experiment. The
specimens were placed in an oven at 110 C
for six hours and the percentage shrinkage
(100(L ± L0)/L0) measured after cooling to
room temperature.
The experiments showed that the ABS
monofilament shrank an average of 20 per
cent whereas the FD-ABS fiber shrank an
average of only 0.4 per cent. Clearly, the ABS
monofilament has a larger degree of
molecular orientation than the FD-ABS
material. The implication is that the ABS
monofilament should exhibit larger modulus
and yield strength values. This occurs because
when the molecules are aligned, the primary
bonds between atoms in the polymer chain
take up a larger proportion of the load, and
these primary bonds are both stiffer and
stronger than the secondary bonds between
the chains.
To confirm the effect of molecular
orientation on the mechanical properties,
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Volume 7 . Number 3 . 2001 . 148±158
tensile tests on individual FD-ABS fibers were
conducted. Eight specimens of length L =
279.4mm were tested at a displacement rate
of 0.1379mm/s producing a strain rate of
0.0005 s ±1. Figure 16 shows the resulting
stress-strain behavior.
The response is very similar to that of the
ABS monofilament shown in Figure 7. Linear
elastic deformation is followed by an
overshoot region where the stress reaches a
maximum, and then a region of extensive
plastic deformation at constant stress. The
unloading behavior is also very nonlinear.
Property values from the above plot include
the modulus, E = 2140 ‹ 9MPa, and yield
strength, ys = 26.5 ‹ 0.3MPa. The decrease
in stiffness and strength (4 per cent and 15
per cent, respectively) relative to the ABS
monofilament confirms the decreasing
property value expectations arising from the
shrinkage results.
Using the FD-ABS fiber properties in
equation (5) now gives:
…1 ÿ 1 †E ÿ …E1 †FD
 100 ˆ 1:1%;
…E1 †FD
…1 ÿ 1 †ys ÿ …ys †FD
 100 ˆ 1:2%: …7†
…ys †FD
These much improved predictions indicate
the importance of using accurate base
material property values in making FD-ABS
property value predictions!
The observed anisotropy in stiffness,
strength, and failure for the FD-ABS
materials (Figures 11-13) comes about
because of the mesostructural characteristics
(i.e. void geometry and distribution) and the
relatively weak fiber-to-fiber bonding. The
Figure 16 Stress-strain response for individual FD-ABS fibers at a strain
rate "_ ˆ 0:005sÿ1
 Mechanical behavior of ABS fused deposition materials
Jose F. RodrõÂguez, James P. Thomas and John E. Renaud
sharp corners at the junction of neighboring
fibers are considered the most important
mesostructural characteristic contributing to
the reduction of yield strength. They provide
stress risers where local stresses can reach
values high enough for craze nucleation at
macroscopic stress levels much lower than
those in bulk ABS. In addition to this, the
fiber-to-fiber interface strength is lower than
the strength of bulk ABS (RodrõÂguez et al.,
1999a, 1999b) favoring crazes that propagate
along the bonding lines at a much faster rate
than they do in the bulk. The combination of
these factors causes a reduction in both the
yield stress and strain.
The magnitude and variation in the error
estimates for the shear moduli (Tables III and
IV) is considerable. The variation in error is
very sensitive to the off-axis angle because of
the sin2  factor in the denominator of the E1
and Ex variance terms. Therefore, the
variance in G12 is expected to be large for
small off-axis angles, even with small variance
on E1 and Ex.
Conclusions
Mechanical properties of ABS monofilament
and the in-plane properties of FD-ABS
materials with three mesostructures have been
experimentally characterized. The results
showed significant mesostructural influence
on the stress-strain response. Moduli values
11 to 37 per cent lower and strength values 22
to 57 per cent lower than the ABS
monofilament were observed for the FD-ABS
materials. The highest stiffness and strength
values were found for loading in the fiber
extrusion direction on an aligned
mesostructural configuration with a small
negative fiber-to-fiber gap setting. The
strength values for both the monofilament
and FD materials increased logarithmically
with strain rate in agreement with an Eyring-
type rate equation. Loss of load-carrying
capacity due to the presence of voids plus a
loss of molecular orientation during the FD
extrusion process contribute to the decrease
in stiffness and strength with FD processing.
The results of this work can be used in
future research to benchmark various
analytical and computational models for FD-
ABS stiffness and strength as a function of
mesostructure (i.e. void density and
interfacial density) and base material
157
Rapid Prototyping Journal
Volume 7 . Number 3 . 2001 . 148±158
properties. The resulting database of
mechanical properties can be used in the
design of functional FD-ABS components.
On the other hand, the experimental methods
developed in the course of this study should
prove useful in guiding future studies of the
mechanical behavior of SFF layered
materials.
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