Parametric study of interface friction to model metal-coated rapid prototyped structures using finite elements techniques

Abstract

The use of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D-printing, is rapidly increasing in the aerospace industry due to its ability to produce high quality parts with short delivery time and reduced cost. Metallization of plastic additively manufactured parts has been shown to increase the material strength by adding a thin layer of Nickel to the plastic surface. A finite element model of a cylindrical 3D-printed plastic made of Nylon-12 and externally coated with a Nickel layer (0.002in) was compared with a specimen of the same geometry and coating thickness under a compression load applied to failure. A finite element parametric study of the friction of the contact interface between the plastic surface and the metallic layer will show that FEM software could model the tested specimen and predict the yield load. Differences in tensile and compression yield strength of Nylon-12 favored the use of Mohr-Coulomb yield criteria in this study.