Local Failure Modes and Critical Buckling Loads of a Meta-Functional Auxetic Sandwich Core for Composite Bridge Bearing Applications

Abstract

This paper presents a novel meta-functional auxetic unit (MFAU) cell designed to improve performance and weight ratio for structural bridge bearing applications. Numerical investigations were conducted using three-dimensional finite element models validated by experimental results. The validated models were exposed to compression and buckling actions to identify structural failure modes, with special attention placed on the global behaviours of the meta-functional auxetic (MFA) composite bridge bearing. This bearing uses an unprecedented auxetic sandwich core design consisting of multiple MFAU cells. Numerical predictions of the elastic local critical buckling loads of the MFAU cell were in excellent agreement with both the analytical and experimental results, with an observed discrepancy of less than 1%. These results demonstrate that local buckling failures of MFAU cells can potentially be incurred prior to yielding under compression due to their slenderness ratios. Surprisingly, the designed sandwich core used in the MFA composite bridge bearing model can mimic an auxetic structure with significant crashworthiness, implying that this novel core composite structure can be tailored for structural bridge bearing applications. Parametric studies were thus carried out in order to enrich our insight into the MFA composite elements. These insights, stemming from both experimental and numerical studies, enable a novel design paradigm for MFAU that can significantly enhance the structural performance of MFA composite bridge bearings in practice.

Mechanical Properties and Energy-Absorption Capability of a 3D-Printed TPMS Sandwich Lattice Model for Meta-Functional Composite Bridge Bearing Applications

“…Another benefit of using TPMS structures is that these structures exhibit a uniform stress distribution, whilst struct-based structures can undergo stress concentrations close to the joints of the structs [24][25][26][27]. In the same way, from our previous work [6,15], local failures of struct-based structures are likely to occur before yielding under compression. Lei Zhang et al [27] found that TPMS structures exhibited a better stiffness, plateau stress, and energy-absorption ability to struct-based body-centred cubic (BCC) lattices.…”

“…Furthermore, in order to afford to eliminate the failure patterns of both SLEBBs and UFLEBBs as previously mentioned, the development of a proposed novel bridge bearing model has been considered in this paper. Nowadays, the use of 3D-printed complex structural components using lattice structures applied in civil engineering is rapidly becoming attractive [15]. Among the various lattice structures presented in Figure 2, the triply periodical minimal surface (TPMS) structures which are among those lattice structures have received considerable attention with potential advantages throughout struct-based lattices (also known as TPMS lattices such as schwarz primitive (SP), gyroid, etc.…”

Special Issue “Extreme Sciences and Engineering II”

“…Sengsri and Kaewunruen [7] highlighted a novel meta-functional auxetic unit (MFAU) cell designed to improve performance and weight ratio for structural bridge bearing applications. Robust numerical simulations were conducted using three-dimensional finite element models validated by full-scale experimental results.…”

Investigations into Nonlinear Effects of Normal Pressures on Dynamic Cyclic Responses of Novel 3D-Printed TPMS Bridge Bearings

“…At this point, in terms of better designs for bridge bearing applications, the development of 3D-printed TPMS bridge bearings under any static and dynamic loading has been inspired by eliminating the aforementioned problems. Based on our previous works [1,[14][15][16][17][18], the use of 3D-printed TPMS structures, which have a relatively higher performance-to-weight ratio, has been considered for bridge bearing applications, resulting in improving their behaviours under any anticipated loading, compared to traditional bearings.…”