Abstract
The fracture toughness of Polylactic acid (PLA) parts printed using the Fused deposition modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing process is experimentally investigated in this study. The compact tension (CT) specimens were printed with 0°/90° and −45°/45° filament orientations at different printing speeds varying from 20 mm/s to 60 mm/s. Fracture toughness values for each process parameter were estimated using the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) approach. It is observed that the CT specimen printed at the highest speed showed the lowest value of fracture toughness; however, the energy absorbed before failure is the highest. The −45°/45° CT specimen showed higher value of fracture toughness compared to the 0°/90° specimen. Tensile tests were also conducted on PLA filament and part level coupons to estimate the mechanical behavior. The FDM printed tensile coupon showed a brittle failure. However, the PLA filament showed ductile behavior with a clear plastic zone.
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