Energy Absorption of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Lattice Structures via 3D Printing: Modeling and Prediction

Abstract

This work investigates the energy absorption capacity of polymeric lattice structures through a systemic manufacturing, testing and modeling approaches. The lattice structures are designed to possess periodic cubic geometry with optimized spherical shells located at the cubic corners, and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powders are used to fabricate such structures via selective laser sintering, a type of powder-based 3D printing technology. A hyperelastic model that considers the mullins effect and describes the cyclic compression stress–strain behavior of TPU is developed to simulate the mechanical response of its 3D-printed lattice structures under cyclic compression loading. After the validation of the model for printed structure, it is used to predict the energy absorption capacity of various designed structures.