A combined ASTM C393-FEM-based methodology for predicting the flexural behaviour of FDM-manufactured TPMS sandwich structures

Abstract The present study aims to compare the flexural behaviour of FDM-manufactured sandwich panels incorporating triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures. The properties of five commonly used TPMS core geometries, as well as the use of additive manufacturing (AM) to fabricate the entire structure, are investigated. Three approaches, designated Methods A, B, and C, are employed to analyse the midspan and quarter-point loading behaviour of these structures. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology within the elastic region: the panel behaviour under flexural loading is predicted with average errors of 9.18% for midspan loading and 9.48% for quarter-point loading. The proposed methodology accurately predicts panel stiffness within the elastic region while reducing the time and financial resources required for experimental testing. However, the methodology has limitations in predicting the maximum load, displacement at failure, behaviour beyond the elastic region, and failure mode. These limitations require further investigation in future research.