Abstract
We present a new approach to incorporate an internal stress distribution into the design of infill via fused deposition modeling of additive manufacturing (AM). This design approach differs from topology optimization, since the topology optimization of AM focuses on changing the overall shape of the product, whereas the approach we propose in this research focuses on the porous infill and remains the overall shape of the product intact. The approach presented here is effective if the overall shape is an important functioning aspect of a product and the stress is applied to the entire body, not to given localized points. As an application, we demonstrate an airfoil with its infill densities optimized based on the pressure applied during operation. Specifically, the stress of an airfoil is analyzed with operational loading conditions. The local density of the infill pattern is determined based on the computational stress analysis. The infill geometry is mathematically generated using a circle packing algorithm. Test results show that the airfoil with the optimized infill outperforms the same shape with the traditional uniform infill pattern of an airfoil having the same weight.
