Mechanical properties of 3D printed polymeric Gyroid cellular structures: Experimental and finite element study

Abstract

Gyroid is a member of the triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) family. In this paper, the mechanical properties of Gyroid-structures are investigated both experimentally and computationally. 3D printing is used to fabricate polymeric Gyroid-structure specimens made of PA 2200 at different relative densities. In the finite element analysis, the Arruda-Boyce finite-deformation elasto-viscoplastic model is employed. To perform the finite element analysis, the properties of the 3D printed material are determined by a series of tension and compression tests. The finite element results of the Gyroid-structure agree very well with the experimental data. Also, the uniaxial modulus, compressive strength, and energy absorption of the Gyroid-structures are compared with those of the IWP-, Neovius-, and Primitive-structures from a previous study. The comparison shows that Gyroid-structures have relatively good mechanical properties and compete well with the other TPMS cellular structures. Keywords: 3D printing, Finite element analysis, Triply periodic minimal surfaces, Mechanical testing, Architectured materials