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A Comparison of Single-Material Microstructures and Multi-Material 3D-Printed Solids
This thesis investigates the mechanical and functional properties of single-material micro-/mesostructures and continuous multi-material solid structures and its respective advantages/disadvantages.
With recent advances in additive manufacturing, more and more complex geometries and structures can be manufactured from different materials at a very high level of precision. Two trends can be observed: first, the usage of multiple materials, 3D-printed in one step, allows for tailored structural properties, e.g. variable elasticity. Second, the development of manifold micro-/mesostructures for all sorts of applications, e.g. vibration damping, lightweight design. However, no detailed comparison between both fields is yet available.
Thus, this work aims at comparing the various possibilities, applications and restrictions of both continuous multi-material structures and single-material microstructures. The research will include numerical simulations and experimental testing of relevant 3D-printed structures to investigate mechanical effects at the micro-, meso- and macro-level as well as homogenized properties of the structures as a whole.
With recent advances in additive manufacturing, more and more complex geometries and structures can be manufactured from different materials at a very high level of precision. Two trends can be observed: first, the usage of multiple materials, 3D-printed in one step, allows for tailored structural properties, e.g. variable elasticity. Second, the development of manifold micro-/mesostructures for all sorts of applications, e.g. vibration damping, lightweight design. However, no detailed comparison between both fields is yet available.
Thus, this work aims at comparing the various possibilities, applications and restrictions of both continuous multi-material structures and single-material microstructures. The research will include numerical simulations and experimental testing of relevant 3D-printed structures to investigate mechanical effects at the micro-, meso- and macro-level as well as homogenized properties of the structures as a whole.
• Literature review
• Define relevant scenarios where one or the other structural type may be advantageous
• Design, simulate, 3D-print and test samples to investigate hypotheses
• Recommendations for advantages/disadvantages of both types
• Literature review • Define relevant scenarios where one or the other structural type may be advantageous • Design, simulate, 3D-print and test samples to investigate hypotheses • Recommendations for advantages/disadvantages of both types