Three-dimensional Voronoi bi-material composites for enhanced impact resistance

Abstract

In the construction industry, modularization can be a key technology for construction automation. To ensure the high mechanical performance of the modular construction system, a new construction block structure needs to be developed. It is widely reported that nacre-patterned multi-layer structures have outstanding impact resistance compared with conventional single materials. Thus, significant efforts have been devoted to developing high-performance block structures by mimicking the nacre. However, structures composed by stacking several layers might have mechanical weakness in a certain direction. This study proposes a new three-dimensional block structure that overcomes the limitations of the original nacre-like layered structure. A three-dimensional Voronoi diagram is used to create a pattern in which the same polyhedron was repeatedly arranged. After designing the 3D Voronoi pattern, specimens with the pattern applied are fabricated using a fused deposition modeling (FDM) based bi-material 3D printer. Then, drop-weight impact tests are performed to evaluate the impact resistance of the 3D patterned structure. The developed block structure is orientation-independent and exhibits superior impact performance. This study can help foster development of the modular construction technology.