Date of Award

Summer 8-31-2025

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Committee Advisor

Roberto A. Lopez-Anido

Second Committee Member

Senthil S. Vel`

Third Committee Member

Vincent Caccese

Additional Committee Members

Bashir Khoda

Halil Tekinalp

Abstract

A combined numerical and experimental approach is presented for the effective elastic moduli and yield strengths of additively manufactured gyroid infills. A representative volume element of the infill geometry is discretized using either shell or solid elements and analyzed using the finite element method. The elastic moduli of the bulk cellular material are obtained through longitudinal and shear deformations of a representative volume element under periodic boundary conditions. Further, the effective yield strength is obtained by implementing an elastic-plastic material constitutive model. The method is used to analyze the elastic behavior of gyroid infills for varying infill densities. The approach is validated by performing experiments using gyroid infill prototypes manufactured using a polymer extrusion-based 3D printer, and comparing the predicted Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and compressive and shear strengths with the experimental results. The numerical predictions are used to develop semi-empirical equations of the effective elastic moduli and yield strengths of gyroid infills as a function of relative density in order to inform design and topology optimization workflows. Finally, these predictive equations are utilized in order to predict the behavior of a large-scale sandwich panel with additively manufactured core.

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