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Optimal design of microlattice materials

Recent progress in additive manufacturing enables large-scale fabrication of hollow microlattices in a variety of material systems, with unprecedented dimensional control on the unit-cell and sub-unit-cell features, thus yielding topologically architected materials with structural hierarchy spanning up to six orders of magnitude in length scale (from tens or hundreds of nanometers to tens or hundreds of centimeters). As mechanical properties of materials often exhibit beneficial size effects at the nanoscale (e.g., strengthening of metals and toughening of ceramics), these novel manufacturing approaches provide a unique opportunity to translate these beneficial effects to a macro-scale structural or multifunctional material. The enormous design space for microlattice materials, and the strong relationship between the topological features of the micro-architecture (including the geometrical details of the nodes) and the effective physical and mechanical properties of the material at the macro-scale, present both a huge opportunity and an urgent need for the development of suitable optimal design strategies. This presentation will focus on the optimal design of lightweight hollow microlattice materials with unique combinations of stiffness, strength and damping. Different optimal design strategies will be discussed, from geometric optimization of hollow lattices with predetermined unit-cell architecture to formal topology optimization of lattice materials with entirely arbitrary architectures.

Author(s):

Lorenzo Valdevit    
University of California, Irvine
United States