Compression behavior of 3D printed isogrid cylindrical shell structures using experimental and finite element modeling

Abstract

AbstractLattice structures have been widely used in aircraft and automobile industries due to their excellent mechanical properties namely high specific strength, specific stiffness, and energy absorption capability. On the other hand, additive manufacturing that is considered as an essential for Industry 4.0 offers incredible opportunities for product development and production flexibility. Previous research on 3D printed isogrid structures focused on isogrid panels and their buckling behavior, whereas isogrid lattice cylindrical shells garnered less attention. This work reports the effect of short carbon fiber reinforcement with polyamide three‐dimensional printing material on the compression response of isogrid lattice shell structures by experimental and numerical modeling. Isogrid cylindrical shells were three dimensionally printed using fused deposition modeling. Initially, test coupons were printed using polyamide and carbon fiber reinforced polyamide and their mechanical properties were found using uniaxial tensile testing. The obtained tensile properties were given as an input to the numerical modeling performed using LS‐DYNA®. The peak load and the maximum displacement of the printed isogrid lattice shells subjected to axial compression loads were experimentally evaluated. The numerical findings were compared with those produced using experimental methods. The error in estimating the peak load of lattice cylinders through numerical modeling was limited to 5.35%. The effect of geometric parameters namely rib width (helical and hoop), shell thickness, helical angle of ribs on the buckling strength was also studied.