On Stiffness, Strength, Anisotropy, and Buckling of 30 Strut-Based Lattices with Cubic Crystal Structures

Architected cellular structures are increasingly receiving attention in numerous applications due to advances in additive manufacturing and their promising multi-functional properties. Herein, 30 architected strut-based lattices of cubic crystal symmetry are developed and their stiffness and strength are investigated computationally and experimentally. Finite element simulations are conducted to compute the effective stiffness, yield strength, and buckling strength under uniaxial, shear, and hydrostatic loadings. Also, elastic anisotropy is assessed and bifurcation analysis is performed to estimate the threshold relative density for each lattice. Selected lattices of various relative densities are 3D printed from a polymeric material using selective laser sintering (SLS). The numerical results show that the modes of deformation whether stretching-dominated, bending-dominated, or mixed differ for the various loading conditions. It is observed that by combining different lattice structures in a hybrid approach, a decrease in the anisotropic behavior is obtained, and an overall enhancement of the mechanical properties is achieved. The numerical results show rather good agreement with the experimental findings. The current study can be crucial for using the investigated lattices for enhancing the multi-functional properties of structural systems.