Bio‐Inspired Graded and Uniform Cylindrical Lattices Fabricated by Material Extrusion 3D Printing: An Experimental and Numerical Investigation

Abstract

The main requirements of the biomedical and aerospace industries are new and innovative lightweight materials. Bio‐inspired structures, which are inspired by various biological designs, have demonstrated notable advancements over traditional lightweight structures. In this study, bioinspired uniform and graded cylindrical triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) and strut‐based lattice structures were studied for their mechanical qualities and energy absorption capacities fabricated by material extrusion 3D printing using PLA material. It was found that the cylindrical TPMS diamond lattice achieved maximum stress of 78.5 MPa and absorbed 19.14 MJ/m3 of energy, outperforming strut‐based designs with a 48% higher energy absorption than cylindrical BCC lattice structure. Graded designs further improve energy absorption through a better stress distribution. The findings validated the Gibson–Ashby model, highlighting the enhanced load distribution and stress transfer in the strut‐based and TPMS diamond structures. The finite element (FE) model results closely matched the experimental data, confirming its predictive reliability with a maximum error of energy absorption of 7.7%, elastic modulus of 6.9%, and plateau stress of 4.7%. These insights underscore the superior energy absorption and mechanical stability of cylindrical TPMS diamond lattices, indicating their potential for satisfying stringent industrial and technical performance requirements. The novelty of these designs lies in their bioinspired structures and significant enhancements in mechanical performance and energy absorption. Future research should build on these results to design efficient materials tailored to specific needs using FE models to optimize development processes before experimental testing.