Abstract:
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of temperature and strain rate on the characterization of an ABS/PMMA bilayer polymer structure. The bilayer is composed of 85% Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and 15% Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA). The theoretical section presents a review of the applications of this polymer and explores the potential of thermoforming for bathtub production. It is of great importance that the technology used in this process gains insight into the relationship between thermoforming processes and the thermal, mechanical, and tribological properties of the ABS/PMMA bilayer. The experimental phase comprises a series of methodically designed tests on ABS/PMMA bilayer sheets. The thermal properties, including thermal stability and glass transition temperature, were evaluated, as well as viscoelastic behavior through mechanical dynamic analysis. Tensile testing was performed at varying temperatures and deformation rates to determine the modulus of elasticity, stress limits, maximum stresses, and elongation at break. Charpy impact testing was done to assess the impact resistance of the material, followed by fractographic analysis to examine interlayer interactions, identify the characteristics of structural and fracture defects, and explain the fracture characteristics observed following tensile and impact testing. Bending strength evaluations were performed to compare the ABS/PMMA bilayer with pure ABS and PMMA. Furthermore, the hardness and tribological properties, including the coefficient of friction and specific wear rate, were investigated. The findings indicated that the ABS/PMMA bilayer exhibited notable thermal stability. The glass transition temperature of the bilayer was found to be 111 °C. The viscoelastic behavior was described by determining the storage and loss modulus. Additionally, the results demonstrate that the influence of temperature and strain rate parameters on the tensile behavior of the ABS/PMMA bilayer was also determined, indicating a high dependence of mechanical behavior on these two parameters. The bilayer structure exhibited good adhesion between the two layers, and the hardness and wear rate were determined
