Compression behavior of strut-reinforced hierarchical lattice—Experiment and simulation

Abstract The reinforcement design of lightweight lattice is a hot spot to seek for higher mechanical performance. In this study, the strut-reinforced concept is proposed from the perspective of space filling. The specimens with 4☓4☓4 cells were fabricated through Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technique with the metallic 316L stainless steel. The mechanical response and deformation mechanism were investigated by means of quasi-static compression test and numerical simulation. Superior performance was obtained in strut-reinforced hierarchical lattices compared with conventional one, in terms of total energy absorption, specific energy absorption, mean force and deformation process. The filled effect, ribbed effect and interaction effect of specific parts generated by the hierarchical configuration were proved to positively enhance the compression behavior. The influence of geometry variations on mechanical response was determined and the function of struts become more dominant as the diameter increases. In addition, the reinforcement mechanism was revealed via comparing the different deformation characteristics. Afterwards, the bearing capacity of the reinforced lattice subjected to oblique loading was compared with conventional lattice.