Lattice cell structures (LCS) are being investigated for applications in sandwich composites. To obtain an optimized design, finite element analysis (FEA) -based computational approach can be used for detailed analyses of such structures, sometime at full scale. However, developing a large-scale model for a lattice-based structure is computationally expensive. If an equivalent solid FEA model can be developed using the equivalent solid mechanical properties of a lattice structure, the computational time will be greatly reduced. The main idea of this research is to develop a material model which is equivalent to the mechanical response of a lattice structure. In this study, the mechanical behavior of a body centered cubic (BCC) configuration under compression and within elastic limit is considered. First, the FEA approach and theoretical calculations are used on a single unit cell BCC for several cases (different strut diameters and cell sizes) to predict equivalent solid properties. The results are then used to develop a neural network (NN) model so that the equivalent solid properties of a BCC lattice of any configuration can be predicted. The input data of NN are bulk material properties and output data are equivalent solid mechanical properties. Two separate FEA models are then developed for samples under compression: one with 5 × 5 × 4 cell BCC and one completely solid with equivalent solid properties obtained from NN. In addition, 5 × 5 × 4 cell BCC LCS specimens are fabricated on a Fused Deposition Modeling uPrint SEplus 3D printer using Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and tested under compression. Experimental load-displacement behavior and the results obtained from both the FEA models are in good agreement within the elastic limit.

In this study, a body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice unit cell occupied inside a frame structure to create a so-called “InsideBCC” is considered. The equivalent quasi-isotropic properties required to describe the material behavior of the InsideBCC unit cell are equivalent Young’s modulus ( E e ) , equivalent shear modulus ( G e ) , and equivalent Poisson’s ratio ( ν e ) . The finite element analysis (FEA) based computational approach is used to simulate and calculate the mechanical responses of InsideBCC unit cell, which are the mechanical responses of the equivalent solid. Two separates finite element models are then developed for samples under compression: one with a 6 × 6 × 4 cell InsideBCC lattice cell structure (LCS) and one completely solid with equivalent solid properties obtained from a unit cell model. In addition, 6 × 6 × 4 cell specimens are fabricated on a fused deposition modeling (FDM) uPrint SEplus 3D printer using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) material and tested experimentally under quasi-static compression load. Then, the results extracted from the finite element simulation of both the entire lattice and the equivalent solid models are compared with the experimental data. A good agreement between the experimental stress–strain behavior and that obtained from the FEA models is observed within the linear elastic limit.

The objective of this study is to develop generalized empirical closed‐form equations to predict the compressive mechanical properties and determine geometrical parameters. To achieve that, 117 models are built and analyzed using ABAQUS/CAE 2016 to provide two types of reliable data: one for lattice mechanical properties based on finite element method and the other for geometrical parameters using the measurements of ABAQUS diagnostic tool. All the models are created by modifying the basic feature of body‐centered cubic lattice structure based on a range of strut angles, a set of relative densities, and two design sets. Also, the influence of lattice cell tessellations and material distribution at strut intersections are considered within these models to provide accurate results. The first data set is fitted with the scaling laws, relating relative elastic modulus and stress with the relative density, to determine Gibson and Ashby's coefficients. The second type of data regarding lattice geometries is correlated with the relative density to estimate actual lattice volume, strut radius, aspect ratio, and overall lattice volume. By this way, these equations can be used to predict directly the lattice characteristics and geometrical parameters without the need for ABAQUS. The results show that the generalized empirical closed‐form equations can predict well both the lattice characteristics and geometries. In addition, the relative stresses and elastic modulus increase with increasing the strut angles since the main deformation mechanisms move toward stretch‐dominated rather than bending. Besides, Gibson and Ashby's coefficients along with the geometrical factors of aspect ratios are found to be approximately similar for both generations. This study contributes to developing efficient equations to provide the researchers with a preliminary insight about the best lattice design and its compatibility in a certain application before starting the fabrication process.