Load-Bearing Characteristics of SLA-Fabricated Octahedral Porous Structures
Strain, cilt.62, sa.2, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 62 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1111/str.70033
- Dergi Adı: Strain
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Compendex, INSPEC
- Anahtar Kelimeler: finite element analysis (FEA), infill density, lattice structures, load-bearing behaviour, mechanical property, stereolithography (SLA)
- Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study presents a comprehensive experimental–numerical investigation of the load-bearing behaviour of octahedral and pillar-reinforced octahedral lattice structures fabricated via stereolithography (SLA) using a bio-based UV-curable KS408B (PAR-based) resin. Lattice specimens were produced with three nominal strut thicknesses (300, 400 and 500 μm), enabling systematic variation of infill density and architectural stiffness. Mechanical performance was evaluated under compression, shear and torsional loading to capture geometry-dependent responses across multiple deformation modes. Experimental results reveal a pronounced nonlinear sensitivity of mechanical properties to slight variations in infill density at low porosity. At a strut thickness of 300 μm, a modest increase of 1.7 percentage points in infill density resulted in a 255% increase in elastic modulus and a 63% increase in compressive yield stress. Under shear loading, pillar-reinforced lattices exhibited enhancements of up to 86% in shear modulus and 33% in yield stress compared to the pure octahedral topology. Torsional tests further demonstrated geometry-dependent trade-offs: pillar reinforcement generally improved torque capacity, whereas the octahedral architecture exhibited greater deformation tolerance and stress homogenization. Finite element analysis (FEA), incorporating experimentally measured bulk material properties, showed good agreement with experimental data, particularly for yield-related parameters, with deviations of 3%–14%, while stiffness-related deviations remained within 16%–26%. Stress distribution analyses highlighted increased rigidity and localized stress concentrations in pillar-reinforced structures, in contrast to the more uniform stress fields observed in pure octahedral lattices. Overall, this work establishes a unified multi-loading experimental–numerical framework for evaluating SLA-fabricated porous lattices and provides new quantitative insights into the interplay between lattice geometry, infill density and mechanical efficiency. The findings offer practical design guidelines for tailoring architectured polymeric structures for load-bearing biomedical scaffolds and lightweight structural applications, where balancing stiffness, strength and deformation capability is critical.