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Effect of laser scanning angle and atmospheric oxygen on mechanical properties and microstructural morphology of selective laser-sintered aluminum-filled polyamide monolayers

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Abstract

The process parameters on selective laser sintering (SLS) have a strong effect on part quality. To better understand SLS of composite materials, this study focuses on the influence of laser scan angle and oxygen gas interaction on the mechanical properties, morphology, and joining mechanisms of laser-sintered aluminum-filled polyamide-12 single-layer specimens at room temperature. The results show that the strength and ductility increase with a higher laser scan angle (e.g., near 60°), and the oxygen concentration in the chamber shows a small effect on the elongation. No changes in the morphology and internal structure of the specimens were observed under a different set of process parameters. Additionally, two failure mechanisms were observed; a ductile failure that occurs when particles are well-blended where the metallic particles work effectively hindering crack propagations, and a brittle failure when local amounts of metallic particles are low.

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Acknowledgements

Gratitude is extended to DICTUC SA for the technical support in the design and build of the chamber and tensile testing, and Dr. Glen Niebur and Dr. Steven Schmid for access to the Micro CT and laboratory facilities at the University of Notre Dame.

Funding

The authors received financial support from the University of Notre Dame and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UND-PUC) Seed Fund for the SEM and EDS electronic microscope analysis, and from ANID FONDECYT project #1201068.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Metallurgical Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Fernando J. Alamos & Jorge A. Ramos-Grez

  2. Research Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials “CIEN-UC”, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Jorge A. Ramos-Grez & Loreto M. Valenzuela

  3. Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Loreto M. Valenzuela

Authors
  1. Fernando J. Alamos
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  2. Jorge A. Ramos-Grez
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  3. Loreto M. Valenzuela
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Contributions

Fernando J. Alamos: original idea of the paper, literature review, design of experiments, experimental setup, data generation: microstructural evaluation, tensile testing, analysis of variance, manuscript writing. Jorge Andrés Ramos-Grez: original conceptualization of the paper, close supervision, and guidance during the research process, critical advice, data generation: scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy data collection, manuscript proofreading, and funding. Loreto M. Valenzuela: literature review, critical advice, and manuscript proofreading.

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Correspondence to Jorge A. Ramos-Grez.

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Alamos, F.J., Ramos-Grez, J.A. & Valenzuela, L.M. Effect of laser scanning angle and atmospheric oxygen on mechanical properties and microstructural morphology of selective laser-sintered aluminum-filled polyamide monolayers. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 114, 3449–3458 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-07120-4

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