[Zurück]

J.L. Mandayo Fernández:
"Numerical Simulations of the Crush Behavior of Cellular Structures";
Betreuer/in(nen): H. E. Pettermann; Institut für Leichtbau und Struktur-Biomechanik, TU Wien; Universidade de Vigo, 2012.

Cellular materials are a unique class of materials and can be found in nature (bone, wood, cork, etc.) as well as in engineering applications (in the cores of sandwich panels, crash protection, packaging, etc.) Their excellent properties such as high energy absorption potential, good formability, and excellent insulation capability are mainly determined by their microstructure. The possibility of tailoring their overall properties for certain service conditions by controlling their microstructure makes them highly attractive for engineering applications. In this context the introduction of Rapid Prototyping techniques opens the possibility of building cellular structures with predetermined properties. In addition to the ability to control the production process, an understanding of the mechanical behaviour of cellular materials is crucial for the success of the designed material.

In the present thesis numerical simulations regarding the mechanical behaviour of regular and irregular open cell structures are carried out with the focus on crush behaviour for simple cubic structures. In Chapter 2 several approaches regarding the modelling of simple cubic structures by means of the Finite Element Method are presented. In Chapter 3 some initial studies are carried out to understand the influence of several parameters on the results of crush behaviour. The results of crush behaviour of the regular and disordered cellular structures for different lattice orientations are shown in Chapter 4.

Finally, Chapter 5 shows the discussions of the results obtained and the possible future approaches. A relationship between the localization of deformation in only one layer of the simple cubic structure and bigger peaks in the plateau stress zone has been found. Furthermore, it has been observed that an increase of the level of disorder in the structure for different lattice orientations influences the crush behaviour.