Process and Material Characterization in Additive Manufacturing

In additive manufacturing, the fabrication process and design of the structure strongly affect the material properties and vice versa. This is especially true for novel and innovative structures that approach the limit of what is possible nowadays, such as lightweight lattice structures for aerospace applications or adaptive structures in 4D printing. It is therefore crucial to include the material characterization in the design loop: material properties can differ due to build orientation (anisotropy), size of the object (scaling), and many other factors. The aims of this project are to a) find and develop the most efficient characterization methods for AM due to the fast rate of change and b) characterize the AM materials through testing and c) create material models that can be used in computational design and optimization methods.