Gyroid infill under stress test: Maine researchers refine strength predictions for lightweight components

At the Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) of the University of Maine, a team led by research engineer Philip Bean and Professors Senthil Vel (Mechanical Engineering) and Roberto Lopez-Anido (Civil Engineering) has presented an approach that enables more accurate prediction of the strength of lightweight, 3D-printed plastic components. The goal is to provide designers with reliable metrics to purposefully control material utilization in lightweight design without universally increasing safety factors. The study was published in “Progressive Additive Manufacturing.”

Technically, the work combines numerical simulations with validating tests on real fabricated specimens. The focus is on gyroid infill, a continuous, periodic internal structure used in common FFF and SLS processes to reduce mass while retaining stiffness. Parametric models vary density, wall thickness, and cell geometry; nonlinear finite element analyses provide local stress and strain distributions. The effective material properties derived from these are experimentally calibrated to account for scaling effects and manufacturing influences such as anisotropy, porosity, or incomplete fusion.

“This work allows us to design 3D-printed parts with greater confidence and efficiency,” said Bean, one of the lead researchers. “By understanding the precise strength of these gyroid-infilled structures, we can reduce material use and improve performance across industries.”

The approach thus addresses a problem in many design tools, which have so far represented internal lattice structures only approximately and often estimated the resulting limit loads conservatively.

For applications, this means more precise designs along the entire process chain: from topology optimization to part qualification to production monitoring. In aerospace, automotive, and medical technology in particular, components can be tuned to target properties without requiring extensive test series for each design. The researchers see the next step as transferring the approach to additional infill types and process materials.