Design, Analysis And 3D Printing Of Architected Sandwich Panels

In this study, we implement a finite element approach and conduct experimental impact tests to evaluate the performance of 3D printed lightweight sandwich panels with architected cellular cores of programmable six-sided cells. The standard mechanics homogenization technique is implemented through a finite element modelling to accurately predict the effective mechanical properties of architected cellular cores. We implement an explicit large deformation finite element simulation using ANSYS to analyze the elasto-plastic behavior of sandwich panels under a low-velocity impact. To experimentally corroborate the developed computational model and to evaluate the manufacturability of architected sandwich panels, we use the fused deposition modeling to 3D print samples of polylactic acid biopolymers. We conduct low-velocity impact experimental tests on the 3D printed panels to investigate their energy absorption capabilities. The results show that the auxetic sandwich panel is potentially an appropriate candidate for energy absorption applications due to its high energy absorption capability.