Experimental characterization of the mechanical properties of 3D printed TPU auxetic cellular materials under cyclic compressive loadings

PurposeFused filament fabrication (FFF) is a popular technique in rapid prototyping capable of building complex structures with high porosity such as cellular solids. The study of cellular solids is relevant by virtue of their enormous potential to exhibit non-traditional deformation mechanisms. The purpose of this study is to exploit the benefits of the FFF technology to fabricate re-entrant honeycomb structures using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to characterize their mechanical response when subjected to cyclic compressive loadings. Design/methodology/approachSpecimens with different volume fraction were designed, three-dimensionally printed and tested in uniaxial cyclic compressions up until densification strain. The deformation mechanism and apparent elastic moduli variation throughout five loading/unloading cycles in two different loading orientations were studied experimentally. FindingsExperimental results demonstrated a nonlinear relationship between volume fraction and apparent elastic modulus. The amount of energy absorbed per loading cycle was computed, exhibiting reductions in energy absorbed of 12%-19% in original orientation and 15%-24% when the unit cells were rotated 90 degrees. A softening phenomenon in the specimens was identified after the first compression when compared to second compression, with reduction in apparent elastic modulus of 23.87% and 28.70% for selected samples V-3 and H-3, respectively. Global buckling in half of the samples was observed, so further work must include redesign in the size of the samples. OriginalityThe results of this study served to understand the mechanical response of TPU re-entrant honeycombs and their energy absorption ability when compressed in two orientations. This study helps to determine the feasibility of using FFF as manufacturing method and TPU to construct resilient structures that can be integrated into engineering applications as crash energy absorbers. Based on the results, authors suggest structure's design optimization to reduce weight, higher number of loading cycles (n > 100) and crushing velocities (v > 1 m/s) in compression testing to study the dynamic mechanical response of the re-entrant honeycomb structures and their ability to withstand multiple compressions.