In-plane compression performance of additively manufactured honeycomb structures: a review of influencing factors and optimisation techniques

Abstract

PurposeHoneycombs enjoy wide use in various engineering applications. The emergence of additive manufacturing (AM) as a method of customisable of parts has enabled the reinvention of the honeycomb structure. However, research on in-plane compressive performance of both classical and new types of honeycombs fabricated via AM is still ongoing. Several important findings have emerged over the past years, with significance for the AM community and a review is considered necessary and timely. This paper aims to review the in-plane compressive performance of AM honeycomb structures.Design/methodology/approachThis paper provides a state-of-the-art review focussing on the in-plane compressive performance of AM honeycomb structures, covering both polymers and metals. Recently published studies, over the past six years, have been reviewed under the specific theme of in-plane compression properties.FindingsThe key factors influencing the AM honeycombs' in-plane compressive performance are identified, namely the geometrical features, such as topology shape, cell wall thickness, cell size and manufacturing parameters. Moreover, the techniques and configurations commonly used for geometry optimisation toward improving mechanical performance are discussed in detail. Current AM limitations applicable to AM honeycomb structures are identified and potential future directions are also discussed in this paper.Originality/valueThis work evaluates critically the primary results and findings from the published research literature associated with the in-plane compressive mechanical performance of AM honeycombs.

Study on the Energy Absorption Characteristics of Different Composite Honeycomb Sandwich Structures under Impact Energy

“…The effectiveness of honeycomb sandwich structures is generally related to the physical properties of the structure, such as cell size, core thickness and arrangement, which affect the strength, stiffness and overall performance of the sandwich structure. The experimental results confirm that the Poisson's ratio, elastic modulus and compressive properties of honeycombs are indeed related to topological characteristics [16]. In recent years, the research on the design of a honeycomb core structure is in full swing, and the type of honeycomb cell has also been greatly improved on the basis of the traditional single configuration.…”

Quasi-static compression and energy absorption behaviour of polymeric selective laser sintered open cell lattices under varying relative densities

“…Simple cubic lattice has the highest compressive properties compared to other lattices because the applied load was directly transmitted downward through vertical struts, allowing struts to withstand more load than their counterpart lattices relatable to (Nazir et al, 2019a(Nazir et al, , 2019b.…”

“…The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1355-2546.htm and materials; also, traditional methods fail to control the dimension precision of struts. The development of AM minimises these limitations and encourages the utility of lattice in various applications (Nazir et al, 2019a(Nazir et al, , 2019b.…”

“…The unique advantages of lattices, such as high energy absorption, load bearing, thermal conductivity (Catchpole-Smith et al , 2019; Lotfi and Sunden, 2023), acoustic and vibration damping (Syam et al , 2018) and high strength to low weight, can be enhanced by unit cell topology, relative density (RD) and material (Obadimu and Kourousis, 2023). The unit cell is an essential element of the lattice that repeats itself periodically to create a lattice in three dimensions.…”

Effect of Crosshead Speed and Volume Ratio on Compressive Mechanical Properties of Mono- and Double-Gyroid Structures Made of Inconel 718

“…Due to the fact that for metallic components produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technology, the possibilities of investigating the influence of technological factors are limited for the institutions that have acquired the production equipment (as they are given by the manufacturer), most authors focus on investigating the influence of factors related to design (such as volume fraction, porosity, pore size, cell type, and others). However, due to the affordability of plastic materials, as well as the availability of 3D printers for plastic materials, studies aimed at investigating the mechanical properties of structures made of plastic have been carried out to date far more than those in which metal was used for the production of structures [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”