scholarly journals Conformal Wireframe Nets for Trimmed Symmetric Unit Cells in Functionally Graded Lattice Materials

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-107
Author(s):  
Eric Trudel ◽  
Mostafa S. A. ElSayed

Tessellating a periodic unit cell of lattice material to fill a design space in complex geometries has many challenges arising from their computer-aided design (CAD) modeling intricacy. A solution to this difficulty is the use of trimmed micro-truss lattice structures with a conformal net. This paper presents a novel algorithm for constructing conformal lattice net as wireframe of one-dimensional line segments suitable for Bravais cubic symmetric truss-based topologies. The novel algorithm is an excellent candidate when dealing with lattice structures using cubic, body-centered cubic (BCC), face-centered cubic (FCC), and/or diamond unit cell configurations. The wireframe structure is easily transferred into one-dimensional beam elements for microscale optimizations to obtain a functionally graded lattice material. It is shown that introduction of the lattice net resulted in a significant reduction in the mass of the optimized design.

Author(s):  
Jenmy Zimi Zhang ◽  
Conner Sharpe ◽  
Carolyn Conner Seepersad

Abstract This paper presents a computationally tractable approach for designing lattice structures for stiffness and strength. Yielding in the mesostructure is determined by a worst-case stress analysis of the homogenization simulation data. This provides a physically meaningful, generalizable, and conservative way to estimate structural failure in three-dimensional functionally graded lattice structures composed of any unit cell architectures. Computational efficiency of the design framework is ensured by developing surrogate models for the unit cell stiffness and strength as a function of density. The surrogate models are then used in the coarse-scale analysis and synthesis. The proposed methodology further uses a compact representation of the material distribution via B-splines, which reduces the size of the design parameter space while ensuring a smooth density variation that is desirable for manufacturing. The proposed method is demonstrated in compliance minimization studies using two types of unit cells with distinct mechanical properties. The effects of B-spline mesh refinement and the presence of a stress constraint on the optimization results are also investigated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenmy Zimi Zhang ◽  
Conner Sharpe ◽  
Carolyn Conner Seepersad

Abstract This paper presents a computationally tractable approach for designing lattice structures for stiffness and strength. Yielding in the mesostructure is determined by a worst-case stress analysis of the homogenization simulation data. This provides a physically meaningful, generalizable, and conservative way to estimate structural failure in three-dimensional functionally graded lattice structures composed of any unit cell architectures. Computational efficiency of the design framework is ensured by developing surrogate models for the unit cell stiffness and strength as a function of density. The surrogate models are then used in the coarse-scale analysis and synthesis. The proposed methodology further uses a compact representation of the material distribution via B-splines, which reduces the size of the design parameter space while ensuring a smooth density variation that is desirable for manufacturing. The proposed method is demonstrated in compliance with minimization studies using two types of unit cells with distinct mechanical properties. The effects of B-spline mesh refinement and the presence of a stress constraint on the optimization results are also investigated.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1528
Author(s):  
Khaled G. Mostafa ◽  
Guilherme A. Momesso ◽  
Xiuhui Li ◽  
David S. Nobes ◽  
Ahmed J. Qureshi

Additive manufacturing (AM) enables the production of complex structured parts with tailored properties. Instead of manufacturing parts as fully solid, they can be infilled with lattice structures to optimize mechanical, thermal, and other functional properties. A lattice structure is formed by the repetition of a particular unit cell based on a defined pattern. The unit cell’s geometry, relative density, and size dictate the lattice structure’s properties. Where certain domains of the part require denser infill compared to other domains, the functionally graded lattice structure allows for further part optimization. This manuscript consists of two main sections. In the first section, we discussed the dual graded lattice structure (DGLS) generation framework. This framework can grade both the size and the relative density or porosity of standard and custom unit cells simultaneously as a function of the structure spatial coordinates. Popular benchmark parts from different fields were used to test the framework’s efficiency against different unit cell types and grading equations. In the second part, we investigated the effect of lattice structure dual grading on mechanical properties. It was found that combining both relative density and size grading fine-tunes the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, absorbed energy, and fracture behavior of the lattice structure.


Author(s):  
S Mantovani ◽  
GA Campo ◽  
M Giacalone

Structural engineering in the automotive industry has moved towards weight reduction and passive safety whilst maintaining a good structural performance. The development of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies has boosted design freedom, leading to a wide range of geometries and integrating functionally-graded lattice structures. This paper presents three AM-oriented numerical optimization methods, aimed at optimizing components made of: i) bulk material, ii) a combination of bulk material and graded lattice structures; iii) an integration of solid, lattice and thin-walled structures. The optimization methods were validated by considering the steering column support of a mid-rear engine sports car, involving complex loading conditions and shape. The results of the three methods are compared, and the advantages and disadvantages of the solutions are discussed. The integration between solid, lattice thin-walled structures produced the best results, with a mass reduction of 49.7% with respect to the existing component.


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