Mechanical Performance and Crack Propagation Resistance in 3D-Printed Nylon-Carbon Composites

Saeed Al-Noman¹, Somia Alfatih M. S.¹, Mohammed Ghazi Gronfula², Galal Al-Mekhlafi³, Mohammed Y. Abdellah^1, , Abdulmajid AlAliw¹ and Mohammed K. Hassan⁴

¹Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Alasala Colleges, Dammam 31483, Saudi Arabia

²Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Alasala Colleges, Dammam 32324, Saudi Arabia

³Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Alasala Colleges, Dammam 32324, Saudi Arabia

⁴Industrial Engineering Department, College of Enineering and Computer Science, Mustaqbal University, Buraydh, Qassim, 51411, Saudi Arabia

Cite this paper:
Saeed Al-Noman, Somia Alfatih M. S., Mohammed Ghazi Gronfula, Galal Al-Mekhlafi, Mohammed Y. Abdellah, Abdulmajid AlAliw and Mohammed K. Hassan. Mechanical Performance and Crack Propagation Resistance in 3D-Printed Nylon-Carbon Composites. American Journal of Mechanical Engineering. 2026; 14(1):1-6. doi: 10.12691/ajme-14-1-1

Abstract

This study investigates the fracture toughness of 3D-printed Polyamide 12 (PA-12) reinforced with carbon fiber. Tensile tests demonstrated an average ultimate tensile strength of 74.24 MPa. Compact tension tests on specimens (W=14 mm, B=4 mm, a=8 mm) revealed a critical load of 1.8 kN. The fracture toughness (K_IC) was calculated as 36.8 MPa√m following ASTM E399 standards. Using an experimental elastic modulus of 5 GPa typical for carbon fiber reinforced PA-12 composites, the corresponding critical strain energy release rate (G_IC) was determined to be 245 kJ/m². This substantial fracture resistance, combined with the observed mixed-mode failure mechanisms including fiber bridging and matrix deformation, indicates that 3D-printed PA-12 carbon fiber composites offer promising damage tolerance for structural applications.

Keywords:
3D printing / Additive manufacturing Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) Fracture toughness Polyamide 12 (PA-12/Nylon 12) Damage tolerance / Failure analysis

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