Numerical an‎d experimental investigation of strength properties an‎d energy absorption of AlSi10Mg lightweight lattice structures

10/22/2026 12:00:00 AM

In this research, complex lattice structures made from the AlSi10Mg (A360) alloy with FBCC, FBCCz, FBCCxyz, an‎d OT topologies were manufactured through precision casting. The main objective of this study was to investigate the mechanical properties, energy absorption, an‎d the macroscopic failure behavior of these structures under quasi-static compressive loading, as well as the impact of topology on these properties. For a more detailed analysis, numerical simulations of these structures were also conducted using the finite element method. Additionally, the effects of geometric parameters, including strut diameter an‎d the number of unit cells, as well as T6 heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the FBCCz lattice structure produced by precision casting, were examined. In another part of the study, the mechanical properties an‎d energy absorption of the BCCz lattice structure made from AlSi10Mg, produced by both SLM an‎d precision casting, were analyzed to eva‎luate the effect of the fabrication method on their mechanical characteristics. The investigation of compressive mechanical properties revealed that the FBCCxyz an‎d OT topologies were significantly stronger an‎d more isotropic, with absolute ultimate strengths of 4.92 MPa an‎d 5.16 MPa, an‎d specific ultimate strengths of 11.84 MPa/(kg/m³) an‎d 14.57 MPa/(kg/m³), respectively. Furthermore, the volumetric energy absorption values at 50% strain for these structures were 0.77 MJ/m³ an‎d 0.72 MJ/m³, with their specific absorbed energies being 1.86 kJ/kg an‎d 2.40 kJ/kg, respectively. The results also indicated that increasing the strut diameter an‎d the number of unit cells led to a significant increase in both absolute an‎d specific ultimate strength an‎d volumetric energy absorption. Additionally, applying T6 heat treatment to the cast FBCCz sample resulted in a remarkable improvement in compressive mechanical properties, doubling the absolute an‎d specific ultimate strengths. A comparison of the mechanical properties of the BCCz lattice structure produced by precision casting an‎d SLM revealed that while the SLM sample exhibited better mechanical properties, it was lower in dimensional quality an‎d surface roughness compared to the casting method. Furthermore, applying stress relief (SR) heat treatment on the SLM sample resulted in decreased ultimate strength an‎d increased energy absorption of the BCCz lattice structure. Microstructural investigations showed that in the A360 alloy, needle-like Si an‎d intermetallic α-AlFeSiMn phases were present in the as-cast state, which partially transformed to a quasi-spherical shape after T6 heat treatment. The microstructure of AlSi10Mg produced by SLM also included αAl an‎d eutectic (αAl + βSi) phases, appearing very fine-grained. The failure mechanism study indicated that in cast samples, regardless of T6 treatment, failure occurred in a brittle manner. However, in SLM samples, SR heat treatment changed the failure nature from brittle to a softer mode. Macroscopically, appropriate heat treatment transformed the failure mechanism of the lattice structures from sudden collapse due to shear ban‎d formation to gradual an‎d layered failure due to the failure of unit cell rows. Finally, a comparison of experimental data with finite element simulation confirmed behavioral similarities; however, discrepancies in values were observed due to casting defects in the actual samples that were not considered in the modeling.

ساختار مشبك , آلياژ AlSi10Mg , ريخته‌گري دقيق , ذوب گزينشي ليزري (SLM) , خواص استحكامي فشاري , جذب انرژي , روش المان محدود

Lattice structure , AlSi10Mg alloy , Precision casting , selec‎tive Laser Melting (SLM) , Compressive strength , Energy absorption , Finite element method

Sina Ghaemi Khiavi

Mehdi Divandari, Bagher Mohammad Sadeghi