A novel spring-like cellular structure design for energy absorbing applications

With the outstanding development of additive manufacturing (AM) process, highly complex geometries became producible. Now it is possible to design a complex structure by using computer aided drawing (CAD) softwares, analyze it with finite element method (FEM) to see if it works well and lastly produce it with AM technology. AM plays a vital role to bring these designs to life. In this thesis, a complex geometry is generated as CAD data, analyzed with finite element analysis (FEA) and redesigned until the most effective design is found, and the results are presented. The aim is to design a novel spring-like cellular structure to have high energy absorption capacity. The structure designed in this thesis is specialized as an energy absorbant structure under static and dynamic loads. At the very beginning, additive manufacturing is briefly explained, cellular structures are defined and the literature is scanned to see the previously designed additevely manufactured, complex, light-weighted, and energy absorpant structures. The common qualities of the best designs are noted, and the aspects of the poorly designed structures are investigated to design a better structure. After the structure is designed, its parameters are defined and the effects of the parameters are investigated. By doing this, the optimum structure is tried to determined. Later on, when the design and modification processes are over, the model is tested under dynamic loading with help of FEA and results are presented. To do this, the design is simplified since the analysis of the structure takes very long time. The structure is simplified with analytical springs, and two different methods are used for this simplfication process. At the end, when those analyses are made, the energy absorption characteristics of both the actual 3D model and simplified models are calculated and compared. Those results are presented in the results chapter, and compared in the conclusion chapter.