• GOPAL G
• DR.S.SOMASUNDARAM

The growing need for lightweight and high-performance materials in loads through the axial forces in the struts instead of the bending of members in the engineering field has led to increased research on metamaterial-based lattice structures. These structures derive their mechanical properties primarily from their geometry, not the base material. The octet truss structure is of interest among different lattice topologies due to its stretch-dominated behaviour and efficient load transfer. However, loads through the axial forces in the struts, instead of the bending of members, limit the energy absorption capacity and adaptability of traditional octet lattices to application-specific requirements. The research is aimed at designing, analysing and manufacturing a novel three-dimensional lattice structure based on the octet truss design. The base unit cell is obtained from two directional re-entrant octahedral honeycombs, which show better deformation behaviour and energy absorption characteristics than the conventional octet geometries. From this two-dimensional unit cell, three hybrid unit cell configurations are developed by introducing square, diamond, and hexagonal support elements in the third direction. The unit cell models are designed in SolidWorks and assembled in three orthogonal directions to form the complete three-dimensional lattice structures. Finite element analysis (Ansys) is used to study the stress distribution and deformation behaviour of each configuration under compressive loading. To validate the simulation results, physical prototypes are manufactured in nylon PA12 by selective laser sintering (SLS), a powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing process that is well suited to produce complex, self-supporting lattice geometries without the need for support structures. Prototypes are compression tested to assess stiffness, strength, and energy absorption capability. The results show that the base lattice geometry and the different support configurations have a significant influence on the structural performance. All designs have advantages in respect of load distribution, stiffness and deformation behaviour. Among the three configurations, the hexagonal support design showed the highest elastic modulus, stress response, and energy absorption efficiency, followed by the diamond design, while the square design showed the lowest mechanical response. To summarise, our results underline the importance of the unit cell architecture for tuning the mechanical response and demonstrate that SLS is a feasible and reproducible fabrication process to produce complex, high-fidelity lattice structures with reproducible mechanical response.

Octet Truss, Lattice, Re-entrant Honeycomb, Unit Cell Design, Energy Absorption, Finite Element Analysis, and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS).

"DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF OCTET LATTICE STRUCTURES USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 9, page no.a444-a451, September-2026, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2609054.pdf

"DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF OCTET LATTICE STRUCTURES USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 9, page no. ppa444-a451, September-2026, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2609054.pdf