Effect of Cryogenic Treatment on Micro-structure and Properties of Different Polymer Materials

Abstract

In order to improve the mechanical properties of the polymer materials, three kinds of samples with the same size were manufactured by the 3D printing equipment. And the materials were polycarbonate, ABS and polypropylene, respectively. After -190°C+8h cryogenic treatment, the mechanical properties such as wear resistance and hardness were tested and the functional groups and internal molecule chain changes were observed by Fourier transform infrard spectrometer. The results showed that the mechanical properties of polymer materials can be improved effectively after the cryogenic treatment. Compared with the untreated samples, the hardness of the PC, ABS and PP samples increased by 27.6%, 10.8% and 20.3% respectively. Among the three materials, the wear resistance of ABS material was improved obviously.