Open Access

ARTICLE

Design and Mechanical Characterization of an S-Based TPMS Hollow Isotropic Cellular Structure

by Junjian Fu^1,2, Pengfei Sun¹, Yixian Du^1,2,*, Lei Tian¹, Qihua Tian¹, Xiangman Zhou¹

1 College of Mechanical and Power Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443002, China
2 Hubei Key Laboratory of Hydroelectric Machinery Design & Maintenance, Yichang, 443002, China

* Corresponding Author: Yixian Du. Email:

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2022, 131(2), 695-713. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2022.017842

Received 10 June 2021; Accepted 19 November 2021; Issue published 14 March 2022

Abstract

Cellular structures are regarded as excellent candidates for lightweight-design, load-bearing, and energy-absorbing applications. In this paper, a novel S-based TPMS hollow isotropic cellular structure is proposed with both superior load-bearing and energy-absorbing performances. The hollow cellular structure is designed with Boolean operation based on the Fischer-Koch (S) implicit triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) with different level parameters. The anisotropy and effective elasticity properties of cellular structures are evaluated with the numerical homogenization method. The finite element method is further conducted to analyze the static mechanical performance of hollow cellular structure considering the size effect. The compression experiments are finally carried out to reveal the compression properties and energy-absorption characteristics. Numerical results of the Zener ratio proved that the S-based hollow cellular structure tends to be isotropic, even better than the sheet-based Gyroid TPMS. Compared with the solid counterpart, the S-based hollow cellular structure has a higher elastic modulus, better load-bearing and energy absorption characteristics.

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Keywords

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