Enhanced strength, toughness, and reliability in crab exoskeleton inspired additively manufactured porous thermoplastics

Inspired by crab exoskeleton, fused deposition modeling (FDM) was used to control local deposition of acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) polymer and local porosity. Effects of four different meso-scale structures on the stochastic mechanical properties were investigated. Tensile tests showed that the biomimetic Bouligand structure increases strength, strain at break, toughness, and mechanical reliability of additively manufactured porous ABS. Change in meso-scale structures impacted variations in mechanical properties. Weibull moduli--as an indication of variation in properties--ranged from 17 to 54 for fracture strength. Variations in strain at break were higher compared to strength with a Weibull modulus between 6 and 16. Finite element simulations captured the experimental fracture behavior of porous structures. Simulations revealed significant damage accumulation in porous Bouligand structures.