Analysis and optimization of strut-based lattice structures by simplified finite element method

Journal article, 2023

In this paper, the mechanical behavior of the lattice structures composed of unit cells such as BCC, BCCZ, FCC, FCCZ, and cubic arrangements with the struts in the forms of circle, rectangle, square, triangle, I-shape, and hollow-square longitudinal sections is examined. For this purpose, the elastic behavior of a lattice cubic with dimensions of 2 (cm) × 2 (cm) × 2 (cm) consisting of 125 unit cells and more than 1000 beam elements is investigated under the compressive loading using the finite element method. In this analysis, the mechanical properties such as stiffness, absorbed mechanical energy, and stiffness-to-weight ratio are determined for these cellular structures, and the orientations of their struts are optimized so that the structure's stiffness–weight ratio is increased. It was observed that the cellular structures with an I-shaped cross-section have the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio among the studied cross-sections.