The design of graded and multifunctional lattice cores is driven by the increasing demand for high-performance components in lightweight engineering. This trend benefits from significant achievements in additive manufacturing, where the lattice core and the face sheets are fabricated simultaneously in a single print job. This work systematically compares the mechanical performance of sandwich panels comprising various graded lattice cores subjected to concentrated loads. In addition to graded lattice cores, uniform lattices and conventional honeycomb cores are analyzed. To obtain an optimized graded lattice core, a fully stressed design method is applied. Stresses and displacements are determined using a linear elastic analytical model that allows grading the core properties in a layerwise manner through the core thickness. The analysis indicates the superior performance of graded lattice cores compared to homogeneous lattice cores. However, conventional honeycombs outperform graded lattice cores in terms of load-to-weight ratio and stiffness-to-weight ratio. This study provides valuable insights for the design of lattice core sandwich panels and the advantages of several design approaches.

In the packaging industry, corrugated boards are widely used due to many factors like biodegradability, a high strength-to-weight ratio, and also ease of manufacturing. In this study, the finite element analysis of corrugated cardboards under the flat compression test was performed using the open source FEA software Salome-meca. A corrugated board consists of a flute sandwiched between a top and bottom liner. This study was performed with the help of Python scripting in order to iteratively perform many studies by varying the geometric shape of the flute. The pressure distribution along the top and the bottom liner was analyzed. The load–deflection curve for the corrugated cardboard was also analyzed as a part of this study. The boundary condition and the loading condition were chosen in such a way as to correctly represent the situation in real life using the flat crush test in the lab. The contact zone was identified a priori and defined during the preparation of the study. Finally, Code-Aster (the solver utilized by Salome-Meca) was used to solve the finite element solution to the problem.

In the packaging industry, corrugated boards are widely used due to many factors like bio-biodegradability, high strength-to-weight ratio, and also ease of manufacturing. In this study, the finite element analysis of corrugated cardboards under the flat compression test was performed using the open-source FEA Software Salome-meca. The corrugated board consists of a flute sandwiched between the top and the bottom liner. The study was performed with the help of Python scripting in order to iteratively perform many studies by varying the geometric shape of the flute. The pressure distribution along the top and the bottom liner was analyzed. The load-deflection curve for the corrugated cardboard was also analyzed as a part of this study. The boundary condition and the loading condition were chosen in such a way as to correctly represent the situation in real-life flat crush test in the lab. The contact zone was identified a priori and defined during the preparation of the study. Finally, the Code-Aster (The solver utilized by the Salome-Meca) was used to solve the finite element solution to the problem.