Improved Mechanical Performance in FDM Cellular Frame Structures through Partial Incorporation of Faces

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Lattice-type cellular architectures are increasingly used due to predictable shapes and 3D-printability.
• Traditional lattice frames (FCC, BCC, SC) face mechanical limitations in fused deposition modeling (FDM) due to stress concentrations.
• Adding plates improves performance but increases weight and can cause dimensional issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the compressive performance of a hybrid SC-BCC lattice structure with partially added plates.
• To analyze stress transfer mechanisms within the lattice at both unit cell and scaled-up levels.
• To identify key parameters for achieving improved lightweighting through lattice design.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of SC-BCC lattice structures with partial plate additions using 3D-printing.
• Axial compression testing of single unit cells and 4x4x4 lattice structures.
• Evaluation of stress transfer to nearest neighbors and scale-up effects.

Main Results:

• Hybrid unit cells showed significant improvements: modulus (125%-393%), specific modulus (13%-120%), and energy absorption (17%-395%) compared to open lattices.
• Scaled-up lattices demonstrated enhanced properties: modulus (8%-400%), specific modulus (2%-107%), and energy absorption (37%-553%) over lattice frames.
• Partial plate addition proved effective for lightweighting.

Conclusions:

• Partial plate integration in SC-BCC lattices offers substantial mechanical enhancements.
• The hybrid design effectively mitigates stress concentration issues inherent in FDM lattice structures.
• This approach presents a promising strategy for developing high-performance, lightweight materials via additive manufacturing.