On the enhanced mechanical characteristics of 3D printed architected spiderweb lattice structures through overall density variation

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents the performance analysis of 3D printed architected spiderweb lattice structures. The research is aimed to provide suitable lattice configuration to be useful for customized foot insole applications. First the architected spiderweb lattice structures comprising of hexagonal networks consisting of struts and nodes are designed. Then 3D printing of these structures is carried out and for this purpose two different materials such as Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and ABS-like resin are considered. Quasi-static compression tests are performed, and simulation analyses are conducted in ANSYS to explore the influence of relative density over the energy absorption capacity of the lattice structures. It is observed that an increase in relative density of 0.2 provides a substantial increase in energy absorbing capacity and strength of the lattice configurations. This increase in relative density by 0.2 led to a 6-fold increase in energy absorption capacity with a 4.5-fold augmentation in strength for TPU lattice structure, and a 7-fold augmentation in energy absorption capacity with 3.5-fold increase in strength for ABS-like resin lattice structure. These results suggest that increasing the relative density of these materials can be a viable strategy for enhancing their mechanical properties, which can have significant implications for different industrial and engineering fields. The enhanced energy absorbing characteristics of this presently developed lattice structures with such materials can make them suitable for foot insole applications.