Compressive Behaviour of Additively Manufactured Periodical Re-Entrant Tetrakaidecahedral Lattices at Low and High Strain-Rates

Compressive deformation behaviour of additively manufactured lattice structures based on re-entrant tetrakaidecahedral unit-cell geometry were experimentally investigated under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. Specimens of four different structures formed by three-dimensional periodical assembly of selected unit-cells were produced by a laser powder bed fusion technique from a powdered austenitic stainless steel SS316L. Quasi-static compression as well as dynamic tests using split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus at two strain-rates were conducted to evaluate the expected strain-rate sensitivity of the fundamental mechanical response of the structures. To evaluate the experiments, particularly the displacement fields of the deforming lattices, optical observation of the specimens using a high-resolution camera (quasi-static loading) and two synchronised high-speed cameras (SHPB experiments) was employed. An in-house digital image correlation algorithm was used in order to evaluate the anticipated auxetic nature of the investigated lattices. It was found that neither of the investigated structures exhibited auxetic behaviour although strain-rate sensitivity of the stress–strain characteristics was clearly identified for the majority of structures.