Finite element modeling of 3D-printed part with cellular internal structure using homogenized properties

The purpose of this research is to create a homogenized linearly elastic continuum finite element model of a 3D-printed cellular structure. This article attempts to answer the following research question: can the homogenization technique based on using virtual experiments, commonly employed in micromechanics solid modeling, be used for homogenization of 3D-printed cellular structure to generate orthotropic material properties? Virtual experiments were carried out for homogenization of cellular structure. These virtual experiments generated homogenized material properties for the continuum finite element model. Physical experimentation was carried out to validate the accuracy of results obtained from the continuum finite element model. Results show that the outlined procedure can be used to generate a fast, yet reasonably accurate, continuum finite element model for predicting the linearly elastic structural response of 3D-printed cellular structure. This study extends the micromechanics homogenization approach to homogenize the 3D-printed partial infill cellular structure to create input material properties for a continuum finite element model. The outlined procedure would enable faster iterative design of 3D-printed cellular parts. The continuum model generated is valid only for a linearly elastic structural response. This framework, however, has potential for extending the analysis to the inelastic range.