Energy absorption and deformation characteristics of eight SLS-manufactured PA12 lattice structures under an intermediate compressive load rate
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Osama Abdelaal
Dr. Osama Abdelaal is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Design and Production Engineering Department at Assiut University, Egypt, and also serves as an Assistant Professor at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Systems Management from the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) in collaboration with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. His research focuses on tribology, additive manufacturing, computational modeling, and materials characterization, with a particular interest in functionally graded metamaterials, tissue engineering, biomedical implants, and customized prosthetics design.
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Saleh Aldahash
Dr. Saleh Aldahash is the dean of the College of Engineering, Majmaah University in Saudi Arabia (2019 – Present). Dr. Aldahash earned his PhD in Manufacturing Engineering from Cardiff University, UK (2011), focusing on rapid manufacturing techniques. He holds an M.Sc. in Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Management from Huddersfield University, UK (2006). Dr. Aldahash is a leading researcher in additive manufacturing, selective laser sintering (SLS), and advanced material processing, with multiple publications in top-tier journals. His research explores customized prosthetics, the mechanical properties of SLS-manufactured materials, and quality optimization in industrial processes.
Abstract
The mechanical response of additively manufactured (AM) lattice structures (LSs) under intermediate loading rates is crucial for real-world applications involving loading rates between quasi-static and high-speed impacts. Testing AM LSs in this regime ensures that the mechanical response aligns with operational conditions. Furthermore, powder entrapment within AM-processed LSs can change their effective porosity, consequently changing their targeted properties. This research aims to investigate the effects of an intermediate load rate and entrapped powder on the compressive behaviour and energy absorption characteristics of four strut-based LSs, namely, BCC, IsoTruss, Octet, and Diamond, and four sheet-based triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) LSs, namely, Schwarz Primitive, Gyroid, Schwarz Diamond, and Split-P, manufactured by SLS from PA12 powder. Strut-based LSs exhibited minimal powder entrapment, while TPMS LSs had increased density from excessive trapped powder. Under intermediate loading, the strut-based lattices, except for IsoTruss, failed catastrophically. In contrast, imperfectly cleaned TPMS LSs exhibited remarkable stiffness, and higher compressive plasticity resulted in high load absorption capacity under intermediate load as the entrapped powder worked as a secondary control of energy storage and stiffness. These findings provide valuable insights into the impact of intermediate loading and entrapped powder on the energy absorption characteristics of SLSed PA12 LSs.
Funding source: Majmaah University
Award Identifier / Grant number: R-2025-2028
About the authors
Dr. Osama Abdelaal is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Design and Production Engineering Department at Assiut University, Egypt, and also serves as an Assistant Professor at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Systems Management from the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) in collaboration with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. His research focuses on tribology, additive manufacturing, computational modeling, and materials characterization, with a particular interest in functionally graded metamaterials, tissue engineering, biomedical implants, and customized prosthetics design.
Dr. Saleh Aldahash is the dean of the College of Engineering, Majmaah University in Saudi Arabia (2019 – Present). Dr. Aldahash earned his PhD in Manufacturing Engineering from Cardiff University, UK (2011), focusing on rapid manufacturing techniques. He holds an M.Sc. in Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Management from Huddersfield University, UK (2006). Dr. Aldahash is a leading researcher in additive manufacturing, selective laser sintering (SLS), and advanced material processing, with multiple publications in top-tier journals. His research explores customized prosthetics, the mechanical properties of SLS-manufactured materials, and quality optimization in industrial processes.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: The authors states no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: The author extends the appreciation to the Deanship of Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research at Majmaah University for funding this research work through the project number (R-2025-2028).
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Data availability: Not applicable.
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