Impact Energy Absorption Ability of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Cellular Structures Fabricated via Powder Bed Fusion

In this study, experimental based investigation was carried out with various cellular structure designs realized using a developmental thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fabricated by powder bed fusion process, in the attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of impact energy absorption design with cellular structures when combined with favorable materials. Various cellular designs including the re-entrant auxetic, double-arrow auxetic, octet-truss, BCC, octahedral, diamond and double bow-tie were designed and evaluated. Pendulum-rebound resilience testing and drop-weight impact testing were carried out with each designs, and the effective energy absorption capabilities of these designs were compared. The results from this study provide some initial insights into the design of TPU-based cellular structures for energy absorption applications that could benefit the establishment of more comprehensive knowledge base in this area.