Effect of Cell Geometry on the Mechanical Properties of 3D Voronoi Tessellation

Abstract

Irregular 3D biological scaffolds have been widely observed in nature. Therefore, in the current work, new designs are proposed for lightweight 3D scaffolds based on Voronoi tessellation with high porosity. The proposed designs are inspired by nature, which has undoubtedly proven to be the best designer. Thus, the Rhinoceros 7/Grasshopper software was used to design three geometric models for both normal and elongated Voronoi structures: homogeneous, gradient I, and gradient II. Then, stereolithography (SLA) additive manufacturing was utilized to fabricate biopolymeric materials. Finally, a compression test was carried out to study and compare the mechanical properties of the designed samples. The gradient I cylinder show the highest Young’s modulus. For the Homogeneous and gradient II cylinders, elongated Voronoi structures show superior mechanical properties and energy absorption compared to normal Voronoi designs. Hence, these designs are promising topologies for future applications.