Numerical investigations of 3D printed structures under compressive loads using damage and fracture criterion: Experiments, parameter identification, and validation

Abstract

In this study, 3D-printed structures under compressive loads were investigated. In order to develop a fully functional simulation solution, the mechanical characterization of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) was performed. Samples for the tensile and compression test were manufactured and tested for a complex tension–compression behavioral analysis of the material. The finite element failure mechanism implemented is based on the strain at failure vs. triaxiality. Thus, to define the set of parameters required by the Generalized Incremental Stress-State-dependent MOdel (GISSMO) implemented in LS-DYNA, specialized samples were manufactured and tested. The material was validated on simple, single-element, and complex models considering the geometrical specifications of the samples used in the tests. A set of 3D structures with lattice, honeycomb, and rectangular patterns were manufactured with the same parameters as those used to build the samples for material characterization. Compression tests were performed and subsequently investigated by numerical analysis. Considering the peak load, the differences obtained between the test and the simulation ranged from 3% to 6.5%. The numerical models with this material implemented are capable of predicting the collapse mode of the structures and, referring to this work, provide a reasonable estimation of the behavior under compressive loads.