Influence of Design Parameters and Materials on the Performance of Closed-Wall Lattice Structures

Abstract

The design flexibility of Additive manufacturing (AM) processes combined with optimal structure selection has greatly expanded the research for lattice like structures. The development of elastic materials such as Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) was enhanced by the existence of compatible additive technologies, which resulted in the interest in the inclusion of this material in all types of product and industrial applications. Several studies established the critical role in the influence on the performance of elastic structures powered by changes in geometrical and manufacturing parameters. These findings enhanced the possibility of designing lattice like structures with different performances in order to be implemented in several applications with specific elastic needs. Therefore, the objective of this work focused on the characterization of closed-wall lattice structures through the analysis of the performance as a function of the design parameters and material used. In this way, several lattice structures were manufactured and tested. The results showed a correlation between the geometric variables and specimen’s stiffness. A substantial variation of the stiffness as a function of the thickness of the unit cell and the height of the layer was found. Same stiffness values can be achieved using different materials and geometric parameters. Similar stiffness values using recycled materials obtained favorable results.