Strategies for functionally graded lattice structures derived using topology optimisation for Additive Manufacturing
Author(s)
Panesar, A
Abdi, M
Hickman, D
Ashcroft, I
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A number of strategies that enable lattice structures to be derived from Topology Optimisation (TO) results suitable for Additive Manufacturing (AM) are presented. The proposed strategies are evaluated for mechanical performance and assessed for AM specific design related manufacturing considerations. From a manufacturing stand-point, support structure requirement decreases with increased extent of latticing, whereas the design-to-manufacture discrepancies and the processing efforts, both in terms of memory requirements and time, increase. Results from Finite Element (FE) analysis for the two loading scenarios considered: intended loading, and variability in loading, provide insight into the solution optimality and robustness of the design strategies. Lattice strategies that capitalised on TO results were found to be considerably (∼40–50%) superior in terms of specific stiffness when compared to the structures where this was not the case. The Graded strategy was found to be the most desirable from both the design and manufacturing perspective. The presented pros-and-cons for the various proposed design strategies aim to provide insight into their suitability in meeting the challenges faced by the AM design community.
Date Issued
2018-01-01
Online Publication Date
2019-04-03T08:58:39Z
Date Acceptance
2017-11-13
ISSN
2214-8604
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
81
End Page
94
Journal / Book Title
Additive Manufacturing
Volume
19
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an
open access article under the CC-BY license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
open access article under the CC-BY license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2017-11-14