A review of the types and tessellation of lattice structures, their effectiveness and limitations in mimicking natural cellular structures

Abstract

Lattice structures are useful in the automotive, biomedical, and aerospace engineering fields because of their good mechanical properties. The efficacy with which their geometries are designed influences their load-bearing capacity. The methods of generating different types of lattice structures have not been clearly outlined in literature. Furthermore, their applicability and shortcomings in trying to mimic biological cellular structures remain to be well investigated. In this paper, numerous types of lattice structures prevalent in literature are highlighted and their tessellation described. The paper also explores the application of lattice structures in terms of their capabilities and limitations, in mimicking cellular structures in nature.