Optimization of fracture toughness in 3D-printed parts: Experiments and numerical simulations.

Since additive manufacturing (AM) has been utilized for production of functional end-use parts, the mechanical behavior of the additively manufactured parts is a crucial issue. In the present study, compact tension (CT) test is conducted on 3D-printed polymer parts which are fabricated based on the fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique. Considering the influence of the printing parameters on the mechanical performance of the parts, the specimens are fabricated under different printing parameters. In detail, CT specimens are printed with +45°/−45° and 0°/90° filament directions and 0.2 and 0.5 mm layer thicknesses at printing speed of 20 mm/s and 70 mm/s. Based on the CT tests, the fracture behavior of the parts are investigated and their fracture toughness are determined. In addition, digital image correlation technique is used to determine the strain fields on the surface of the CT specimens. Moreover, a series of finite element analysis is performed to study the mechanical behavior of modeled parts. Additionally, scanning electron microscopic investigation is performed for visual examination of the fractured components. According to the results, optimum printing parameters for maximizing the mechanical properties are determined. Due to the wide applications of the FDM 3D-printed parts, the documented results are beneficial for fabrication of parts with a higher mechanical strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]