Lightweight 3D cellular composites inspired by balsa

Malek, S; Raney, JR; Lewis, JA; Gibson, LJ

Lightweight 3D cellular composites inspired by balsa

Malek, S

Raney, JR Lewis, JA Gibson, LJ

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, 2017, 12 (2)
Issue Date:: 2017-03-17

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Malek, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9290-9689	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Raney, JR	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Lewis, JA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Gibson, LJ	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017-03-17	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, 2017, 12 (2)	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1748-3182	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/125030
dc.description.abstract	© 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd. Additive manufacturing technologies offer new ways to fabricate cellular materials with composite cell walls, mimicking the structure and mechanical properties of woods. However, materials limitations and a lack of design tools have confined the usefulness of 3D printed cellular materials. We develop new carbon fiber reinforced, epoxy inks for 3D printing which result in printed materials with longitudinal Young's modulus up to 57 GPa (exceeding the longitudinal modulus of wood cell wall material). To guide the design of hierarchical cellular materials, we developed a parameterized, multi-scale, finite element model. Computational homogenization based on finite element simulations at multiple length scales is employed to obtain the elastic properties of the material at multiple length scales. Parameters affecting the elastic response of cellular composites, such as the volume fraction, orientation distribution, and aspect ratio of fibers within the cell walls as well as the cell geometry and relative density are included in the model. To validate the model, experiments are conducted on both solid carbon fiber/epoxy composites and cellular structures made from them, showing excellent agreement with computational multi-scale model predictions, both at the cell-wall and at the cellular-structure levels. Using the model, cellular structures are designed and experimentally shown to achieve a specific stiffness nearly as high as that observed in balsa wood. The good agreement between the multi-scale model predictions and experimental data provides confidence in the practical utility of this model as a tool for designing novel 3D cellular composites with unprecedented specific elastic properties.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Bioinspiration and Biomimetics	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1088/1748-3190/aa6028	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Physiology	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Cell Wall	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Bombacaceae	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Carbon	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Epoxy Compounds	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Finite Element Analysis	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Elasticity	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Ink	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Biomimetic Materials	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Elastic Modulus	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Printing, Three-Dimensional	en_US
dc.title	Lightweight 3D cellular composites inspired by balsa	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	12	en_US
utslib.for	0202 Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics	en_US
utslib.for	0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology	en_US
utslib.for	0904 Chemical Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	02 Physical Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	09 Engineering	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	12	en_US

Abstract:

© 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd. Additive manufacturing technologies offer new ways to fabricate cellular materials with composite cell walls, mimicking the structure and mechanical properties of woods. However, materials limitations and a lack of design tools have confined the usefulness of 3D printed cellular materials. We develop new carbon fiber reinforced, epoxy inks for 3D printing which result in printed materials with longitudinal Young's modulus up to 57 GPa (exceeding the longitudinal modulus of wood cell wall material). To guide the design of hierarchical cellular materials, we developed a parameterized, multi-scale, finite element model. Computational homogenization based on finite element simulations at multiple length scales is employed to obtain the elastic properties of the material at multiple length scales. Parameters affecting the elastic response of cellular composites, such as the volume fraction, orientation distribution, and aspect ratio of fibers within the cell walls as well as the cell geometry and relative density are included in the model. To validate the model, experiments are conducted on both solid carbon fiber/epoxy composites and cellular structures made from them, showing excellent agreement with computational multi-scale model predictions, both at the cell-wall and at the cellular-structure levels. Using the model, cellular structures are designed and experimentally shown to achieve a specific stiffness nearly as high as that observed in balsa wood. The good agreement between the multi-scale model predictions and experimental data provides confidence in the practical utility of this model as a tool for designing novel 3D cellular composites with unprecedented specific elastic properties.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/125030