Simulation of Elastic Properties of Solid-lattice Hybrid Structures Fabricated by Additive Manufacturing

The lattice structure is promising in a variety of engineering applications because of its unique mechanical properties. To satisfy certain functional requirements, lattice structures combined with the skin and solid are preferred in many cases. Additive Manufacturing (AM) has reduced the difficulty in fabricating Solid-Lattice hybrid structures, which brings more potential for applications. However, analyzing such a complex structure is challenging for traditional methods. In this paper, a new simulation model is proposed to reduce the computational cost and avoid poor mesh quality in simulating elastic properties of Solid-Lattice hybrid structures by Finite Element Analysis. The connecting area of the lattice strut and the solid is investigated to determine the best parameter for the new simulation model. A structure is designed and the experiment is conducted to validate the proposed method. A comparison between the new simulation model and the traditional one shows that the computational cost is dramatically decreased and the mesh quality is improved by the proposed method. And both of the simulation results are close to the experimental result which can be used to predict the mechanical performance of Solid-Lattice hybrid structures.