Mechanical Properties and Energy Absorption Capability of ARCH Lattice Structures Manufactured by Selective Laser Melting

Selective laser melting (SLM) is widely used in lattice structure manufacturing. ARCH lattice structure is named ARCH because the center line of ARCH strut is arched; compared with other structures, arch can afford bigger pressure. Herein, the ARCH lattice structures are analyzed by finite element analysis, and the stress distribution of the ARCH lattice structures is obtained. The quasistatic compression experiment is conducted on the ARCH lattice structure samples. The mechanical properties and energy absorption capability of ARCH lattice structures with different relative densities fabricated by SLM are experimentally researched. The results show that, compared with other lattice structures, ARCH lattice structures have superior mechanical properties and energy absorption capability. The relative density has a great influence on the mechanical properties and energy absorption capability of ARCH lattice structures. The Gibson-Ashby equation is also established to estimate the mechanical properties and energy absorption capability of the lattice structures with different relative densities.