Architectured Chain Lattices with Tailorable Energy Absorption in Tension

TL;DR

This paper presents chain lattices, hierarchical structures designed to enhance energy absorption in tension, enabling 3D-printed brittle materials to become damage-tolerant through tailored architecture.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of chain lattices with hierarchical design, combining toughening and energy-densifying lattices, and demonstrates their potential for additive manufacturing of damage-tolerant materials.

Findings

Ceramic chain lattices can achieve significantly higher specific energy absorption.

Chain lattices can be fabricated using additive manufacturing techniques.

The hierarchical design prevents catastrophic failure in tensile loading.

Abstract

This paper introduces the chain lattice, a hierarchical truss structure comprising two interpenetrating lattices. One lattice toughens the material and prevents catastrophic localized failure while the other lattice serves as a porous matrix that densifies to absorb energy during tensile loading. Chain lattices are amenable to additive manufacturing and can transform 3D-printable materials that are normally brittle and flaw-sensitive into damage-tolerant materials. Calculations predict ceramic chain lattices can have a specific energy absorption several orders of magnitude greater than that of their fully dense counterparts.