Lattice Materials: Overview, Applications, and Testing Methods

Lattice materials
Introduction
Lattice materials refers to the materials that are formed from a spatially periodic network of the
interconnected rods, plates, beams or other slender structures. The ability to mold the unit-cell
microstructure of a lattice material on various length scales is a way of achieving higher
vibroacoustic and mechanical properties that are ordinarily not possible to be achieved by the use
of convectional materials. This report focuses on the overview of the lattice materials by carrying
out a literature review regarding the various aspects such as their applications [1].
Recent studies that have carried out by various scholars’ shows that stiffness degrades much
faster as compared to the relative density and these lattice materials are designed to overcome
that problem. A new line of production of engineering materials has been developed to produce
stiff lightweight structures that can be tailored towards a variety of uses. Lattice materials are
lightweight materials which offers cheap options to some composite structures as well as solid
cast metal alloys
Testing methods
Experiments
The test samples are fabricated by the use of two different lattice structures which are having
the same bulk density. In the experiment the micro lattices are produced by projection
microstereolithography which is a layer-by-layer additive micro manufacturing process having
ability to fabricate arbitrary 3D micro scale structures

Simulations
Other tests carried out on the lattice materials are Finite element simulations

Application of Lattice materials
Such materials can be can be produced in forms of sandwiched panels and they have potential
applications in areas where light weight material having high stiffness are required such as in
aircraft flooring. Other applications of these materials will be using their good heat transfer
characteristics in heat exchangers and for carrying out cooling of electronic components.
The lattice materials have a wide application in the aerospace applications such as in the
manufacture of structures such as engine cases, exhausts components, shrouds, actuators among
other structural components. The lattice material is believed that it will find a wide application in
the transportation in the manufacturing of light weight vehicles [2].
According to the application of lattice material, its structure can be enhanced to accommodate
the applied boundary conditions or other loads. The internal development of the lattice block
material is created with a many load paths .This greatly assists in redistributing the load in
the event of a single strut failure. The capability of distributing the load from a failed strut to
another offers significant internal redundancy.
Lattice materials compared to the standard materials