Compressive behavior of hierarchical brick‐and‐mortar structures obtained by fused deposition modeling

Abstract

AbstractNature is a never‐ending fount of inspiration to solve engineering problems. In light of this, the goal of this work is to propose and study structures that mimic materials found in nature, more specifically nacre. These structures were designed to be manufactured using fused deposition modeling since this is an accessible way to reproduce complex geometries. The manufactured biomimetic materials were tested in uniaxial compression in two different directions. In addition, an elastoplastic numerical analysis was used to better understand the compressive behavior of the studied structures. The comparison between experimental and numerical analysis reveals that the overall behavior results from two competing mechanisms, that is, an increase in stiffness due to strain‐hardening and a stiffness decay promoted by damage propagation. Moreover, it was possible to see that the structures continue to bear load while they retain the structural integrity, which is dominated by the crushing strength of each type of structure.Highlights Additive manufactured nacre‐inspired structures were proposed. Influence of different geometries in the compressive behavior was assessed. Behavior was linked to competition between strain‐hardening and damage growth. Load‐bearing capacity was related to the structural integrity of elements. The crack deflection mechanism was identified in some specimens.