Protective performance of hybrid triply periodic minimal surface lattice structure

A hybrid triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) method is proposed by the implicit mathematical equation to develop a new TPMS structure. Mechanical properties of the basal TPMS structures and the hybrid TPMS structure subjected to axial crushing load are experimentally and numerically investigated. Results show that the specific energy absorption of hybrid additive and subtractive TPMS structures is up to 97.2 % and 82.4 % enhancement compared to the basal Schwarz Primitive structure, and the Undulation of load-carrying capacity of hybrid additive and subtractive TPMS structure is 60.1 % and 33.3 % lower than that of the basal Schoen IWP structure. The effect of topological shape and material distribution on mechanical properties of hybrid TPMS structures are further numerically investigated, and structural factor and wall thickness have significant influence on crashworthiness. Furthermore, the crushing behavior of hybrid additive TPMS and square honeycomb subjected to in-plane and out-of-plane impact loads are investigated, and the hybrid additive TPMS structure shows significant crashworthiness advantage in in-plane crushing condition. Furthermore, the multi-objective optimization is carried out to obtain the optimal crushing performance of the hybrid additive TPMS structure. The hybrid design can provide a good guidance for the research on crashworthiness of the TPMS structures.

Automated summary

A hybrid TPMS method was proposed to develop a new TPMS structure, and the mechanical properties of different TPMS structures were studied experimentally and numerically. Results showed that the hybrid TPMS structure had higher energy absorption and lower load-carrying capacity fluctuation. Further investigations revealed that the topological shape and material distribution had significant influence on mechanical properties, and the hybrid additive TPMS structure exhibited significant crashworthiness advantage in in-plane crushing condition.