Investigating the energy absorption quality of the porous Schwarz P structure made by 3D printing method

Porous structures are of interest to researchers from different fields due to their multiple functions. In this research, the quality of energy absorption of porous structures designed based on Schwarz P minimal surface is investigated. For this purpose, three cubic samples are designed and tested using pressure test. Two samples of polylactic acid, one of which is completely solid and the second with 50% porosity are printed using the fused deposition modeling method. The third sample is made of UV resin with 50% porosity, using the masked stereolithography apparatus. In the following, all three samples are subjected to a pressure test, and force-displacement and energy-displacement diagrams are extracted. The obtained results show that the behavior of the resin sample is completely brittle and does not have ductility and the ability to absorb energy. In contrast, the PLA sample has undergone deformation up to 70% strain. Also, the comparison of two solid and porous polylactic acid samples shows that the amount of energy absorbed in the porous sample is about one-third, but the absorption quality is soft and smooth.