Mechanical and energy absorption properties of 3D-printed honeycomb structures with Voronoi tessellations

Abstract

3D printing technology is the new frontier in building construction. It is especially useful for making small structures within a short period. Full construction, including interior partitions and exterior façades, can be achieved with this technology. This paper proposes a parametric Voronoi tessellations model for quickly generating and fabricating 3D-printed hexagonal honeycomb partitions for interior design. Comprehensive experimental testing was conducted to characterize the mechanical properties and investigate the energy absorption characteristics of the proposed 3D-printed hexagonal honeycomb while comparing it to alternative hexagonal honeycomb structures. The tests included tensile testing (ASTM-D638) of the printed Polylactic Acid (PLA) material, especially with the almost total absence of conducted research that reported mechanical properties for 3D printed material with low infill percentages such as 10%. In addition, an in-plane quasi-static axial compression testing of the lightweight honeycomb structures was also conducted on the printed structure with the same low infill percentage. Compared to non-Voronoi honeycomb structures, the Voronoi honeycomb resulted in superior mechanical and energy absorption properties with energy absorption values ranging from 350 to 435 J and crash force efficiency being 1.42 to 1.65.

Flexible and Lightweight Solutions for Energy Improvement in Construction: A Literature Review

“…By using a collapsible and sturdy aluminum frame and an isolated XZ actuator system to protect electrical connections and dynamic components, the 3D printer could be easily deployed off-grid to help in providing assistance by quickly fabricating tools and equipment (Figure 20a). [61], (e) an optimized 3D-printed honeycomb structure [64], (f) a concrete 3D-printed prestressed bridge [65], (g) Wire-and-Arc manufactured pillars [66], and (h) a 3D-printed formwork to realize a thin shell structure [67].…”

“…The compression tests demonstrated that the application of the low-modulus stiffeners increased the ultimate bearing load more than four times, altering the deformation behavior of the specimens, and that further studies should be carried out on developing a reliable adhesive connection between the aluminum profile and polymeric stiffeners. Lastly, in [54], the authors proposed the use of [51], (b) a lightweight concrete 3Dprinted module [56], (c) a prefabricated concrete 3D-printed module [60], (d) a closed-cell lightweight concrete 3D-printed wall module [61], (e) an optimized 3D-printed honeycomb structure [64], (f) a concrete 3D-printed prestressed bridge [65], (g) Wire-and-Arc manufactured pillars [66], and (h) a 3D-printed formwork to realize a thin shell structure [67].…”

“…The mechanical properties of complex 3D-printed geometries were investigated in [63,64]. Van den Heever et al [63] proposed two finite element modeling strategies to analyze complex concrete 3D-printed geometries; different beams were printed using polypropylene fiber-reinforced printable concrete to test their behaviors under different loading configurations.…”

“…The experimental and numerical results suggested that vertical shear reinforcement should be considered to improve the performances of 3D-printed concrete beams. Instead, Ragab et al [64] focused on PLA 3D-printed honeycomb structures, testing the load-carrying and energy absorption capacities upon varying the infill geometries. All the samples were printed with a 10% infill volume, making them lightweight while providing good energy absorption properties.…”

“…Figure 20. (a)A resilient 3D printer for emergency scenarios[51], (b) a lightweight concrete 3Dprinted module[56], (c) a prefabricated concrete 3D-printed module[60], (d) a closed-cell lightweight concrete 3D-printed wall module[61], (e) an optimized 3D-printed honeycomb structure[64], (f) a concrete 3D-printed prestressed bridge[65], (g) Wire-and-Arc manufactured pillars[66], and (h) a 3D-printed formwork to realize a thin shell structure[67].…”