Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Fracture Energy and Size Effect in Carbon Powder Reinforced PLA Parts Manufactured by Fused Deposition Modeling

When using fused deposition modeling (FDM)-produced parts for structural purposes, it is essential to scale the mechanical properties of the objects and the assessment of fracture process. The main purpose of this study is to conduct an experiment to evaluate the size impact of FDM-made parts. In the present work, the mechanical properties of carbon powder reinforced polylactic acid (CPLA) parts manufactured by FDM process are measured using a dogbone shaped test specimen according to ASTM D638-14. Single edge notched tension (SENT) specimens with \([\pm 45/0]_s\) ${[\pm 45/0]}_s$ raster angles were manufactured using FDM. The specimens, with thicknesses (in mm) of 0.7, 1.4 and 2.1, were examined for size effect and Mode-I fracture characteristics. Tensile test data and fracture test data are used in calculating fracture parameters using size effect. The traction separation curve (TSC) obtained from the size effect law which is used in finite element analysis of SENT specimens for crack propagation analysis using cohesive zone modeling (CZM) technique. The fracture energy of each set of specimens was determined using the size effect law. It was observed that the fracture energy decreased with increasing specimen thickness