Articles techniques et présentations

Designing a component with multiple functions, e.g. load bearing and noise attenuation, can increase the effectiveness of each component and reduce the complexity of the overall system, thereby improving system efficiency as well.

Current multifunctional components include metal foam. It is posited that the cellular pores of the metal foam can be engineered and optimized for desired characteristics. The components being developed are comprised of cellular lattice structures. Structural (or load-bearing) properties as functions of the geometric characteristics of engineered lattice structures have been previously determined.

The current structure design focuses on thermal management and pressure-wave attenuation potential. A preliminary structure was designed knowing the target thermal conductivities. Experimental tests were then conducted and compared to the COMSOL® results.