RESEARCH PAPER
Comparison of Experimental and Simulation Studies in the Strength Analysis of Structural Components: a Case Study of Chambered Tubular Structures Manufac-tured using Additive Technology
1
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, PBS Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, Poland
2
Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2026-04-14
Final revision date: 2026-06-30
Acceptance date: 2026-07-10
Publication date: 2026-09-25
Corresponding author
Karolina KAROLEWSKA
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, PBS Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, al. Prof. S. Kaliskiego 7, 85-796, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, PBS Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, al. Prof. S. Kaliskiego 7, 85-796, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Acta Mechanica et Automatica 2026;20(3):729-737
HIGHLIGHTS
- Mechanical behavior of FDM-manufactured lattice pipes was analyzed
- Infill geometry significantly affects strength and stiffness
- Ladder structure offers the best strength-to-weight ratio
- FEM results agree with experimental observations
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
This paper investigates the mechanical performance of thin-walled tubular structures with chambered (lattice) internal geometries manufactured from ABS using fused deposition modelling (FDM). The objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of infill geometry on load-bearing capacity and deformation behaviour under bending and compressive loading conditions and to compare lattice configurations with solid struc-tures. Experimental investigations included three-point bending and axial compression tests performed using INSTRON
testing machines. Four structural configurations were analysed: ladder-type, triangular, tubular, and solid. In addition, finite element method (FEM) simulations were conducted to investigate the displacement response of the structures under compressive loading. The experimental re-sults showed that the solid structure achieved the highest load-bearing capacity but at the expense of increased mass. Among the lattice con-figurations, the ladder-type structure demonstrated the most favourable overall performance, reaching load levels close to those of the solid structure while reducing mass by more than 50%. The triangular structure provided intermediate performance, whereas the tubular configuration exhibited the lowest load-bearing capacity in both bending and compression tests. FEM simulations reproduced the
displacement-response trends of the investigated geometries and provided qualitative insight into the influence of chamber geometry on structur-al behaviour. The results confirm that appropriately designed lattice structures can achieve a favourable load-bearing-capacity-to-weight ratio, making them attractive for lightweight engineering applications.
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