Fabrication, characterization, and compressive properties of SLM-fabricated 316L triply periodic minimal surface structures
Triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures are widely utilized in fields such as aerospace, biomedicine, and sound absorption. This study investigated the fabrication characteristics and compressive properties of 316L stainless steel TPMS structures produced via selective laser melting (SLM...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/51568/1/Fabrication%20characterization.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/51568/ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09544062251409486?int.sj-full-text.similar-articles.8 https://doi.org/10.1177/0954406225140948 |
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| Summary: | Triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures are widely utilized in fields such as aerospace, biomedicine, and
sound absorption. This study investigated the fabrication characteristics and compressive properties of 316L stainless
steel TPMS structures produced via selective laser melting (SLM). Uniform and gradient Gyroid (G) and I-Wrapped
Package (IWP) porous structures with different porosities and unit cell sizes were designed. Specimens were fabricated
via SLM and their morphology was evaluated employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with microcomputed tomography (Micro-CT). The Micro-CT and SEM images revealed no defects or broken cells, confirming that
SLM can accurately manufacture TPMS porous structures. After fabrication, the actual porosities of uniform porous
specimens were 1.62%–5.14% lower than their target values. Both the elastic modulus and yield strength of uniform
porous structures decreased progressively with increasing porosity. Although the deformation mode of TPMS
structures was unchanged by graded porosity, introducing a porosity gradient significantly increased the compressive
strength and energy absorption compared to uniform porosity designs. Using Abaqus software, a finite element model
was established to analyze compressive behavior, enabling simulation of the corresponding stress–strain response. The
outcomes of the numerical analysis demonstrated strong agreement with the experimental observations. This study
systematically compares and validates the uniform porosity and gradient porosity in the 316L TPMS lattice through
experiments and finite element analysis. These findings offer guidelines for designing TPMS metamaterials tailored to various operating conditions. |
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