Cellular structures from additive processes: design, homogenization and experimental validation

Abstract

The importance of lightweight structures in many fields of engineering is well known since long time. The innovations in technological processes based on material addiction allow pushing the design towards challenging geometries and associated structural properties. Engineered materials like lattice structures can be theoretically used to modify the local material properties and strength with minimization of the mass of components; in practice, several issues are still to be solved in stabilization of additive processes and achieving repeatable structures able to pass qualification procedures. At this purpose, dedicated experimental and design methods like those reported in this paper are needed.