Uniaxial compression of bi-directionally graded lattice structures: Finite element modelling

Lattice structures are widely used in various engineering applications due to their high weight-to-strength ratio and exceptional energy absorbing performance. The feasibility of using different base materials to fabricate these cellular structures with complex geometries has been significantly broadened with the development of additive manufacturing technology. In this paper, quasi-static mechanical properties and energy absorption capability of polyamide PA 2200 (nylon 12) lattice structures were investigated by using finite element analysis (FEA) in ANSYS/LS-DYNA. Three types of lattice structures composed of body-centred cubic (BCC) unit cells were studied, including uniform lattice structures, uni-directionally graded lattice structures and bi-directionally graded structures. Finite element simulations were consistent with experimental data reported in literature. The results showed that bi-directionally graded lattice structures exhibited superior crushing resistance and higher energy absorption capacity than uniform and uni-directionally graded lattice structures. It showed that density grading design of lattice structures had significant influence on the deformation patterns and therefore, energy absorption performance.