Additively manufactured (AM) lattice structures are applied in high-value applications such as lightweight aerospace design and biomedical implants. However, uncertainties of the geometry of as-manufactured AM lattice structures results in uncertainties in the associated mechanical response. This research proposes a non-destructive digital-twin certification methodology that quantifies the functional response of individual strut elements (and associated statistical distributions) from x-ray micro-computed tomography (µCT) data for as-manufactured AM lattice structures. This methodology may be algorithmically applied, as is required for the cost-effective certification of high-value lattice structures. The proposed methodology is demonstrated for a digital twin of over 2000 strut elements within a Ti-6AI-4V lattice fabricated with laser-based powder bed fusion. This digital twin allows various geometric or functional analyses to be performed, and in this case is demonstrated by acquiring statistical distributions of the predicted critical buckling load as a function of the strut element build orientation.
Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies such as Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion (LB-PBF) enables fabrication of complex lattice structures. However, LB-PBF processes inherently induce dimensional variation between idealised and as-manufactured specimens. This research proposes and implements a method to characterise the structurally relevant geometric properties of as-manufactured strut elements; as demonstrated to characterise the effect of LB-PBF material (aluminium alloy and titanium) and geometric design parameters (polygon order, effective diameter and inclination angle) on the stiffness and strength of as-manufactured strut elements. Micro-computed tomography is applied to algorithmically characterise the as-manufactured variation and identify a threshold below which additional geometric resolution does not result in increased part quality. This methodology provides an algorithmic and robust Design for AM (DFAM) tool to characterise the effect of manufacturing and design parameters on the functional response of AM strut elements, as is required for certification and optimisation.
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