Finite element analysis on titanium-tantalum lattice structures fabricated using selective laser melting

Abstract

In this study, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used to study the mechanical properties of titanium-tantalum (TiTa) alloy lattice structures fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM) in previous literature. Based on the actual measured dimension of the experiment samples, the geometry is reproduced and analyzed in ANSYS using two different approaches (beam model, full-3D model). The mechanical properties, such as elastic modulus and yield strength, are then predicted using the two ANSYS models and compared to the experiment results. It is found that both beam model and full-3D model can predict the elastic modulus of the fabricated TiTa parts with high accuracy. However, for yield strength, the predictions from beam model and full-3D model are around 50 % and 65 % in average lower than the experimental data respectively. Finally, in order to validate the design parameter, e.g. porosity levels, the mechanical properties of the lattice structures with porosity from 50 % to 90 % are studied using full-3D FEA model and the results are found to follow the Gibson-Ashby model.