Comparison of Fracture Toughness on Innovative Material Fabricated by Additive Manufacturing: Experimental and Simulation

This research focuses on evaluating fracture toughness of an innovative material (IM) combining Polylactic acid (PLA-M1) and Carbon fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (M2) through stratified deposition. Results indicate that IM exhibits significantly enhanced fracture toughness (KIC = 10.99 MPam\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$MPa \sqrt{m}$$\end{document}) in contrast to M1 (KIC = 5.72 MPam\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$MPa \sqrt{m}$$\end{document}) and M2 (KIC = 6.08 MPam\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$MPa \sqrt{m}$$\end{document}). Experimental results were further validated using extended finite element method (XFEM) analysis and observed a strong correlation with experimental outcomes. Simulating crack propagation and studying fracture mechanics are essential for ensuring the safety, reliability and cost-effectiveness of engineering system. This dual approach not only validates materials mechanical properties also highlighting its potential for application in fields, where resilience and reliability are paramount, such as automotive industry.