Geometric Modeling and Steady-State Thermal Simulation of TPMS Structures

Triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures provide complex, continuous, and periodic surfaces whose geometric and thermal responses depend on topology and design parameters. This study examines five TPMS families, Gyroid, Diamond, Lidinoid, SplitP, and Schwarz, through implicit geometric modeling and steady-state thermal simulation. The structures were generated in nTop using topology-specific lattice thickness and cell size ranges selected to retain recognizable morphology, surface continuity, and compatibility with the original meshing workflow. Calculated surface area-to-volume ratio (SA/V), maximum temperature (Tmax), and temperature difference (ΔT) were used as geometric and thermal screening metrics. Within the parameter combinations evaluated for each TPMS family, smaller cell sizes and thinner lattice thickness inputs generally increased calculated SA/V. Larger cell sizes or thinner lattice thickness inputs generally increased simulated Tmax and ΔT. The numerical model used homogeneous isotropic Al 6061-T6, a uniform 10 °C base temperature, and a prescribed convection boundary. Simulated temperatures were compared with infrared thermal imaging and surface sensor measurements obtained from 17-4 PH stainless steel specimens under different cooling conditions. Overall, the results demonstrate that topology-specific changes in cell size and lattice thickness input influence both calculated SA/V and steady-state solid conduction response within the evaluated design space. The study provides comparative geometry-to-conduction screening for future investigations of TPMS structures.