The development of new adaptive manufacturing technologies enables us to create lattice structures at the microscale. These structures have the potential to replace many components in lightweight applications as they show high strength properties while having a low density. By replacing conventional solid shells with a curved two-dimensional truss network, the benefits of the lightweight structure properties can be included in three-dimensional applications like tissues or soft robotics. To efficiently calculate the effective mechanical properties, an analytical framework is required for periodic truss-based shells consisting of representative unit cells (RUCs). Homogenization methods based on applying the Cauchy-Born rule to a RUC, that were already confirmed for the in-plane behavior, need to be extended to also capture the out-of-plane mechanical response of two-dimensional lattices. The approach will be validated for different RUCs by comparing the analytical results with a fully resolved discrete finite element (FE) calculation.
The development of new adaptive manufacturing technologies enables us to create lattice structures at the microscale. These structures have the potential to replace many components in lightweight applications as they show high strength properties while having a low density. By replacing conventional solid shells with a curved two-dimensional truss network, the benefits of the lightweight structure properties can be included in three-dimensional applications like tissues or soft robotics. To efficiently calculate the effective mechanical properties, an analytical framework is required for periodic truss-based shells consisting of representative unit cells (RUCs). Homogenization methods based on applying the Cauchy-Born rule to a RUC, that were already confirmed for the in-plane behavior, need to be extended to also capture the out-of-plane mechanical response of two-dimensional lattices. The approach will be validated for different RUCs by comparing the analytical results with a fully resolved discrete finite element (FE) calculation.
The student will start by familiarizing himself with and extending an existing FE base used to create and simulate 3D shells made of truss networks. The project requires the composition of a homogenization scheme for the bending deformation of truss networks that is subsequentially compared to the exact solution of a fully resolved discrete calculation.
The student will start by familiarizing himself with and extending an existing FE base used to create and simulate 3D shells made of truss networks. The project requires the composition of a homogenization scheme for the bending deformation of truss networks that is subsequentially compared to the exact solution of a fully resolved discrete calculation.