Design and mechanical properties of hierarchical isogrid structures validated by 3D printing technique

Abstract

Based on general lattice structure, a hierarchical isogrid (isotropic grid) structure with T-ribs was designed to enhance the buckling resistance and plastic performance, and manufactured by three-dimensional (3D) printing technique. It is proposed that under edgewise compression, the latticed panel has three structural failure modes, including material failure, global buckling and local buckling. Hierarchical topology simultaneously improves the out-of-plane and in-plane rigidity of the lattice ribs, as T-ribs balance the global bending rigidity and the local rib bending rigidity, endowing the panel higher buckling resistance. In the stage of post-failure plastic bending, the T-rib lattice shows good load-carrying ability and deforming ductility. Based on three failure modes, a multi-failure theory was built and verified by experiments and finite element method (FEM). A plastic model for the hierarchical isogrid panels was built to predict the post-failure deformation. The failure mode map method was proposed, providing reference for further optimal design. Keywords: 3D printing, Hierarchical lattice, Multi-failure, Mechanical properties