Mechanical characterization and numerical modeling of laser-sintered TPE lattice structures

Additive Manufacturing provides the opportunity to produce tailored and complex structures economically. The use of lattice structures in combination with a thermoplastic elastomer enables the generation of structures with configurable properties by varying the cell parameters. Since there is only little knowledge about the producibility of lattice structures made of TPE in the laser sintering process and the resulting mechanical properties, different kinds of lattice structures are investigated within this work. The cell type, cell size and strut thickness of these structures are varied and analyzed. Within the experimental characterization of Dodecahedron-cell static and cyclic compression tests of sandwich structures are focused. The material exhibits hyperelastic and plastic properties and also the Mullins-Effect. For the later design of real TPE structures, the use of numerical methods helps to reduce time and costs. The preceding experimental investigations are used to develop a concept for the numerical modeling of TPE lattice structures.