Evaluation of the Compression Properties of 3D Printed EPA-GF TPMS Structures

3D printed minimal surface structures have received considerable research interest in the past decade and are proposed for many multidisciplinary applications. The mechanical performance of these structures is significantly affected by their structural configuration, materials, and 3D printing parameters. To explore the behavior of structural profiles, four different designs were developed and 3D printed from ePA-GF materials using a fusing filament fabrication and evaluated by axial compression experiments at a quasi-static staining rate. The experimental results provide insight into the compression properties, plastic deformation, and failure mechanism of short fiber reinforced structures. The results of axial compression experiments revealed that unit cell topology plays an important role in unit cell selection and design. It has been found that the Diamond structure has the highest compressive modulus and energy absorption capacity, while the Primitive structure has the lowest range of compressive modulus and energy absorption capacity. However, the Primitive structure recorded the lowest induced stress and highest efficiency among all other designs. Fiber pull-out and fracture was observed on induced cracks in the structure, which confirms uniform stress transfer to successive layers.