Abstract
This paper investigates the macroscopic anisotropic behavior of periodic cellular solids with rigid-jointed microscopic truss-like architecture. A theoretical matrix-based procedure is presented to calculate the homogenized stiffness and strength properties of the material which is validated experimentally. The procedure consists of four main steps, namely, (i) using classical structural analysis to determine the stiffness properties of a lattice unit cell, (ii) employing the Bloch’s theorem to generate the irreducible representation of the infinite lattice, (iii) resorting to the Cauchy–Born Hypothesis to express the microscopic nodal forces and deformations in terms of a homogeneous macroscopic strain field applied to the lattice, and (iv) employing the Hill–Mandel homogenization principle to obtain the macro-stiffness properties of the lattice topologies. The presented model is used to investigate the anisotropic mechanical behavior of 13 2D periodic cellular solids. The results are documented in three set of charts that show (i) the change of the Young and Shear moduli of the material with respect to their relative density; (ii) the contribution of the bending stiffness of microscopic cell elements to the homogenized macroscopic stiffness of the material; and (iii) polar diagrams of the change of the elastic moduli of the cellular solid in response to direction of macroscopic loading. The three set of charts can be used for design purposes in assemblies involving the honeycomb structures as it may help in selecting the best lattice topology for a given functional stiffness and strength requirement. The theoretical model was experimentally validated by means of tensile tests performed in additively manufactured Lattice Material (LM) specimens, achieving good agreement between the results. It was observed that the model of rigid-joined LM (RJLM) predicts the homogenized mechanical properties of the LM with higher accuracy compared to those predicted by pin-jointed models.
Highlights
A periodic cellular solid, known as a Lattice Material (LM), is a periodic micro-architectured structure designed by tessellating a unit cell in an infinite periodicity
To be considered a periodic structure, the unit cell must present a degree of symmetry, which is given by the Bravais lattice symmetry [4]
LMs are classified into two categories, bending and stretching dominated [25,26,27], when considering the small deformations hypothesis
Summary
A periodic cellular solid, known as a LM, is a periodic micro-architectured structure designed by tessellating a unit cell in an infinite periodicity. To be considered a periodic structure, the unit cell must present a degree of symmetry, which is given by the Bravais lattice symmetry [4]. Several numeric and analytic methods have been proposed to effectively model properties of RJLM [32] in which the response of a single unit cell or a finite number of them are investigated. Other analytical methods modelled the LM as a continuum Those models provide inaccurate results when the in-plane bending of the cell elements of a RJLM is taken into consideration [33]. To overcome this issue, a micro-polar continuum model has been used for the characterization of LMs [34,35].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
