Mixed-mode fracture behavior of 3D-printed PLA with zigzag filling

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a widely used biomaterial in medical applications as a biodegradable and renewable aliphatic polyester type of material. This material is often subjected to different defects and damages from in-service and manufacturing conditions, and the increasing demand for PLA for different applications requires a thorough understanding of its fracture behavior. In this work, a numerical and experimental study of the mixed-mode fracture behaviors of three-dimensional (3D)-printed PLA samples with a zigzag pattern of different filling ratios was performed using a recently developed special loading fixture. The 3D-printed samples were produced with a 200 degrees C nozzle at 60 degrees C bed temperature and 50mm/s printing speed. Mixed-mode fracture tests from pure tensile to pure shear loading were performed by varying the loading angle, alpha, from 0 to 90 degrees. Finite-element analyses were conducted by using the Abaqus software program, and geometrical factors were obtained at different loading angles. As a result, the fracture toughness values of pure tensile loading, pure shear loading and mixed modes were determined.