Synergistic reinforcement design and failure behaviors of 3D-printed lattice structures with stable failure mechanism

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This study presents a synergistic reinforcement design strategy for additive manufactured lattice structures, aiming to enhance mechanical properties through topology optimization and hybrid structural configurations. A level set-based topology optimization method is employed to design a novel TOPO lattice structure with a volume fraction of 10%, fabricated via fused deposition modeling (FDM). Compression experiments and finite element simulations are conducted to evaluate the crashworthiness, energy absorption, and failure mechanisms of all lattices, benchmarked against conventional body-centered cubic (BCC) and face-centered cubic (FCC) lattices. Results demonstrate that the TOPO lattice exhibits superior specific energy absorption (SEA) (127.99% and 65.61% higher than BCC and FCC, respectively) and stable progressive failure modes. Hybrid configurations combining TOPO with BCC or FCC further enhance mechanical performance, achieving a 173.57% increase in average load capacity and 136.17% improvement in SEA. The optimized hybrid lattice structures also exhibit regulated failure modes, transitioning from catastrophic collapse to uniform deformation. The optimized lattice structure significantly enhances resistance to bending loads while improving stress distribution and deformation modes when incorporated into solid components. These findings highlight the potential of topology-optimized and hybrid lattice designs for lightweight and energy-absorbing applications.