Mechanical characterisation of PA-Al2O3 composites obtained by selective laser sintering

Purpose - This paper aims to develop a deep characterization of PA-Al2O3 composite for selective laser sintering (SLS). Tension test is used to determine main mechanical characteristics of the material, both at room temperature and at 100°C. Findings - The sintered material shows an evident anisotropy in the growth direction (z-axis), as well as it seems to be not sensitive to the sintering direction at room temperature. The observation of the rupture surface showed that cracks originate from the external surface and propagate initially by the ductile failure of the polymeric matrix, up the sudden fracture of the whole section.