Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Indirect Fabrication of Lattice Metals with Thin Sections Using Centrifugal Casting
Published on: May 14, 2016
Solid Stress-Distribution-Oriented Design and Topology Optimization of 3D-Printed Heterogeneous Lattice Structures
Bo Li1,2, Ciming Shen1
1School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
Abstract:
Lightweight structural design is greatly valued in the aviation, aerospace, and automotive industries. Three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques provide viable and popular technical pathways for the rapid design and manufacturing of lightweight lattice structures. Unlike the conventional design idea of a geometrically homogenized lattice structure, this work provides a design method for structurally heterogeneous lattice according to the spatial stress state of 3D-printed parts. Following the quasi-static stress numerical simulations of solid components, finite element mesh units were inconsistently replaced by lattice units with different specific rigidities corresponding to the localized stress levels. Relying on the topology optimization further lightened the lattice structure under quasi-static stress after removing some parts with extremely low stress from the overall structure. As an embodiment of this design idea, face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice units with different strut diameters were employed to non-uniformly and adaptively fill a solid part under localized loading. The topological optimization was conducted on the solid part globally. Then, the topologically optimized solid and the heterogeneous lattice structure were subjected to the geometric Boolean operation. Stereolithographic 3D printing was utilized to fabricate the homogeneous and heterogeneous lattice structural parts for comparative tests of three-point bending. Three evaluation indicators were defined for the standardized assessment of the geometrically complex lattice structures for the performance evaluation. This demonstrated that the heterogeneous lattice part exhibited better comprehensive mechanical performance than the uniform lattice. This work proved the feasibility of this new perspective on 3D-printed lightweight structure design and topology optimization.
Related Concept Videos
Stress Concentrations
General State of Stress
Specifically, consider a tetrahedral element where one face, labeled XYZ, is perpendicular to the line OA, and the remaining faces align with the coordinate axes with point O as the origin. At any point, such as point O, the stress tensor can be used to determine the stress...
Stress: General Loading Conditions
The shearing force, possessing potential directionality within the plane of the section, is simplified into two component forces running parallel to the x and y axes....
Three-Dimensional Analysis of Strain
Distribution of Stresses in a Narrow Rectangular Beam
Unsymmetric Loading of Thin-Walled Members
The concept of the shear center is crucial in countering the...

