Mechanical performance and defect analysis of the imperfect micro smooth gyroid cylinder shell structure

Projection micro-stereolithography (P mu SL) technique has been demonstrated effective in fabricating the micro lattices. However, the complex fabrication process would inevitably yield stochastic geometric defects within the target structure. In this paper, compressive mechanical properties and deformation modes of the micro gyroid cylinder shell structure with defects originated from the P mu SL process were examined through experimental test and numerical simulation. Both the synchrotron X-ray tomography (SR-mu CT) investigation and interrupted in-situ compression experiment were conducted to study the role of process-induced defects on the mechanical behavior. Testing results indicated that the fabricated thickness value was much larger than the design value, which had a non-negligible effect on the mechanical properties of the gyroid cylinder shell structure. Then, the reconstructed 3D true model was proposed based on the 2D tomography images. Simulation results indicated that the true model predicted results were more consistent with the experimental results when compared with the ideal model.

Automated summary

In this study, the impact of defects originated from the P mu SL process on the compressive mechanical properties and deformation modes of micro gyroid cylinder shell structures were examined through experimental tests and numerical simulations. Testing results showed that the fabricated thickness value significantly affected the mechanical properties of the structures. A reconstructed 3D true model based on 2D tomography images was proposed, with simulation results indicating better consistency with experimental results compared to an ideal model.