Design and performance analysis of a flexible unit based on selective laser melting

Abstract

This paper proposes a microstructure, the flexible unit, employing the leaf spring working principle in machinery. The flexible unit has elasticity and damping capability. Parts using flexible units produce greater elastic deformation than rigid parts under great impact external loads, thus absorbing and consuming large energy amounts during deformation. First, the flexible unit’s structural form and layout designs are presented. Second, the constraint conditions for the flexible unit’s structural parameters are given according to selective laser melting process characteristics. Third, flexible units with different parameters are selected and produced using selective laser melting. The influences of the flexible unit’s structural parameters on the mechanical properties and energy absorption are then analyzed from compression test results. Finally, the strength and energy absorption of the common Kagome structure and the flexible unit are compared. The results show that the flexible unit’s yield strength is ~36% higher than a Kagome structure with the same mass. The flexible unit’s absorbed energy is ~27% higher when damaged and ~39% higher during elastic deformation than for the Kagome structure. Thus, flexible units have demonstrably excellent performance, so their design and application provide an alternative for the lightweight and miniaturized design of parts with large impact loads.