Mechanical behavior and deformation mechanism of triply periodic minimal surface sheet under compressive loading

In this study, impact behavior and deformation mechanism of triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) sheet (Schwarz’ P, Schoen’s I-WP, and Neovius) were numerically investigated. The convergence study of mesh size, sensitivity of cell number, and parametric investigation of shell thickness were performed. Three different collapse modes “⋁+⋀=X,” “/+\=X,” and “Whole-X” were experienced corresponding to Schwarz’ P, Schoen’s I-WP, and Neovius sheets, respectively. Comparison between the anisotropic 2D circular honeycomb and isotropic 3D TPMS were conducted. The results show that TPMS sheets perform excellent mechanical properties due to their isotropic smooth surface transitions and open-cell connectivity.HighlightsCell number sensitivity of TPMS structures is investigated and Mesh size convergence study of TPMS structure is performed.Systematic regular TPMS patterns are obtained and collapse mechanisms related to deformation mode are revealed.Comparison between TPMS structure and the representative 2D cellular circular honeycomb structure is conducted, better performance in withstanding uniaxial compression is confirmed.