Fire Growth Behavior and Predictive Modeling of 3D-Printed Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) Porous PLA...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Additive Manufacturing
• Fire Safety Engineering

Background:

• Triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) offer high surface area and porous architectures, making them suitable for thermal management.
• Understanding the influence of TPMS geometry on fire growth is crucial for safe application, yet remains poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how TPMS geometry (cell size, unit cell type, wall thickness) affects fire growth in 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) structures.
• To develop a predictive model for fire growth based on TPMS structural parameters.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of Gyroid, Diamond, and Schwarz-P TPMS structures using additive manufacturing.
• Characterization of fire behavior using cone calorimetry.
• Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses, including an L9(3^3) orthogonal array experiment and regression modeling.

Main Results:

• Flame propagation is primarily governed by cell structure, not porosity or specific surface area.
• The ranking of factors influencing the flame growth index (FGI) is: cell size > unit cell type > wall thickness.
• A multivariate regression model accurately predicts FGI (R² = 0.95).

Conclusions:

• TPMS geometry, specifically cell size and type, plays a critical role in dictating fire growth in PLA.
• Quantitative insights facilitate the design of safer porous materials for thermal management applications.
• Findings support the development of fire-resistant TPMS-based thermal management systems.