Exploring Hybrid TPMS Designs for Improved Energy Absorption in Vehicle Crashworthiness

Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) structures have gained significant attention in recent years due to their excellent mechanical properties, lightweight characteristics, and potential for energy absorption in various engineering applications, particularly in automotive safety. This study explores the design, manufacturing, and mechanical performance of both general and hybrid TPMS structures for energy absorption. Three types of fundamental TPMS unit cells—Primitive, Gyroid, and IWP—were modeled using implicit functions and combined to form hybrid structures. The hybrid designs were optimized by employing Sigmoid functions to achieve smooth transitions between different unit cells. The TPMS structures were fabricated using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology with 316L stainless steel and subjected to quasi-static compression tests. Numerical simulations were conducted using finite element methods to verify the experimental results. The findings indicate that hybrid TPMS structures exhibit superior energy absorption characteristics compared to individual unit cells, with notable improvements in specific energy absorption and structural stability under compressive loads. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the potential application of hybrid TPMS structures in automotive crash box, offering enhanced crashworthiness and multi-stage energy regulation.