Impact Absorption Behaviour of 3D-Printed Lattice Structures for Sportswear Applications.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Sports Engineering

Background:

• Lattice structures offer lightweight designs with high energy absorption.
• Current sports protective equipment often relies on conventional foam or rigid materials.
• Additive manufacturing enables complex lattice designs for customized applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the potential of 3D-printed lattice structures for sports protective equipment.
• To compare the mechanical and impact absorption properties of rhombic dodecahedron (RD) and re-entrant (RE) lattice structures.
• To identify the most promising lattice design for contact sports protective gear.

Main Methods:

• Additive manufacturing of RD and RE lattice structures using elastic resin.
• Compressive strength, energy absorption, and flexural property testing.
• Comparison with conventional foam and rigid polyethylene (PU) materials.
• Impact reduction analysis under various conditions.

Main Results:

• The re-entrant (RE) structure showed higher stiffness and bending rigidity but lower uniaxial strength than the RD structure.
• 3D-printed lattices demonstrated excellent bendability, with stiffness comparable to foam.
• Optimal impact absorption improvement of 43% over foam and 2.3% over PU was achieved.
• The RD lattice with a 5 mm cell size exhibited superior overall performance.

Conclusions:

• 3D-printed RD lattice structures show significant promise for developing advanced sports protective equipment.
• The RD lattice offers a balance of elasticity, strength, and impact resistance for enhanced athlete safety.
• Findings support the development of more comfortable and protective chest equipment for contact sports.