Oct 8, 2018 | By Thomas
Scientists from the University of Surrey partnered with researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the University of California to develop a new 3D printed material that has high stiffness and damping. This new material that is as stiff as metal but flexible enough to withstand strong vibrations could transform the car manufacturing industry, say the scientists.
The team explored an architected material consisting of a load-bearing lattice intertwined with a free-floating lattice. They achieved this near impossible combination in a material by using 3D woven technical textile composite sheets, with selected unbonded fibres, allowing the inside of the material to move and absorb vibrations, while the surrounding material remains rigid.
Three-dimensional woven lattices are manufactured in two stages. First, a fabric composed of metallic wires is woven by stacking mutually orthogonal warp and fill wires, with Z-wires running through the thickness and wrapping around the top and bottom fill wires, binding the fabric together. Second, brazing joins the wires into a 3D interconnected stiff frame.
Figure 1: (a) 3D woven (3DW) lattice material is composed of Z- (green), warp (red) and fill (blue) wires; (b) Yellow color indicates the brazing locations (at the top and bottom). (c) Cross-section of 3D woven lattice with the stiff skeleton (the brazed portion on the top and bottom) and free lattice members in the core of the structure, (d) SEM image of the brazed top face, which confirmed metallurgical bonding of the metallic lattices.
“The idea of a composite the resolves the paradox of stiffness and damping was thought to be impossible – yet here we are," said Dr Stefan Szyniszewski, Assistant Professor of Materials and Structures at the University of Surrey. "This is an exciting development that could send shock waves through the car, train and aerospace manufacturing industries. This is a material that could make the vehicles of the near future more comfortable than ever before."
The Laser Doppler Vibrometry (LDV) equipment measured the frequency response of 3D woven lattice at high frequencies.
The end result is a material that is comparable to polymers in terms of damping coefficient, but is porous and has much higher maximum use temperature. This novel class of damping metamaterials has potential use in a broad range of weight sensitive applications that require vibration attenuation at high frequencies.
Additionally, the key benefits of the materials are that it is "highly scalable, allows multi-material lattices, and is amenable to selective bonding, which is crucial for our architectures", write the researchers.
Researchers believe their new material could usher in a new wave of trains, cars, and aircrafts, allowing customers to experience little to no vibration during their travels.
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
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Could a similar lattice be used to 3D-Print hail-resistant roof panels/tiles?
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