Multiscale modeling of functionally graded shell lattice metamaterials for additive manufacturing

In this work, an experimentally validated multiscale modeling framework for additively manufactured shell lattice structures with graded parameters is introduced. It is exemplified in application to the Schwarz primitive triply periodic minimal surface microstructure and 3D printing using masked stereolithography of a photopolymer material. The systematic procedure starts with the characterization of a hyperelastic material model for the 3D printed material. This constitutive model is then employed in the finite element simulation of shell lattices at finite deformations. The computational model is validated with experimental compression tests of printed lattice structures. In this way, the numerical convergence behavior and size dependence of the model are assessed, and the range in which it is reasonable to assume linear elastic behavior is determined. Then, representative volume elements subject to periodic boundary conditions are simulated to homogenize the mechanical behavior of Schwarz primitives with varying aspect ratios and shell thicknesses. Subsequently, the parameterized effective linear elasticity tensor of the metamaterial is represented by a physics-augmented neural network model. With this constitutive model, functionally graded shell lattice structures with varying microstructural parameters are simulated as macroscale continua using finite element and differential quadrature methods. The accuracy, reliability and effectiveness of this multiscale simulation approach are investigated and discussed. Overall, it is shown that this experimentally validated multiscale simulation framework, which is likewise applicable to other shell-like metamaterials, facilitates the design of functionally graded structures through additive manufacturing.

Graphical Abstract