Page 45 - eBook_Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Manufacturing V2

Enhanced Bending Strength of PLA Beams with Varied Lattice Infill Structures

Although dynamic impact testing and sophisticated
simulations (such as FEM) are of paramount importance in the
study of material response to high-energy loadings, static three-
point bending is utilised in this study, pointing out that integration
of numerical and simulation techniques gives the most
comprehensive picture. Higher mathematics is used by most
scientists to examine how materials fail and deform as a result of
static and fatigue loads; computational packages such as
ABAQUS and ANSYS are used by other scientists to model this.
High enough loads cause compression failure (also experienced
with three-point bending) and low loads cause cracking (another
failure mode under three-point bending). Other scientists have
associated experiments such as three-point bending with ANSYS
models to investigate material strength (Hussain, Khan & Abbas,
2019; (He & Hu, 2008). Numerical Three Point Bending Test
(TPBT) results confirm virtual testing for failure and energy
absorption, implying its use for more complicated simulations
such as impact test (Giglio, Gilioli & Manes, 2012; Yang, 2023).
Structural stiffness was also optimised in the three-point bending
test through topology optimisation (Garcia-Granada, Catafal-
Pedragosa & Lemu, 2019); this process identified the optimal
material distribution (Hussain, Khan & Abbas, 2019).

RESEARCH GAP

Although there have been many studies on the mechanical
behaviour of lattice structures, there is scarce work comparing
extensively different types of lattices infills in a PLA beam under
three-point bending with both porosity and infill volume held
constant. There is a need for a systematic assessment of the
influence of varying lattice geometries, encompassing strut-based
and TPMS designs, on the equivalent strain and stress/mass ratio.
Our study fills this void by presenting a comparative study of the
bending behaviour, providing useful information for structural
optimisation.

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