Effective heat conduction evaluation of lattice structures from selective laser melting printing

Lattice structures are promising for the applications as heat exchange media since additive manufacturing technology is able to prepare the parts in complex shapes. Thermal conduction performance is one of the key indicators evaluating the heat transfer capability of heat exchange media, and it is quantified by the effective thermal conductivity. The present study is to evaluate the heat conduction performance of lattice structures used as lightweight materials in industries. In order to design and fabricate lattice structures with controllable thermal conduction performance, the effects of structure design variables such as topology, porosity, specific surface area, and cross-section area on effective thermal conductivity of selective laser melting processed lattice structures are investigated systematically by experimental and numerical approaches. The results show that either decreasing the porosity or specific surface area increases the effective thermal conductivity of specific lattice structures. It is also found that the effective thermal conductivity increases up to 50.67% when the minimum cross-section area is enlarged along with the main heat conduction direction under the same porosity and specific surface area. •Use of SLM technology for fabricating porous multi-layered lattice structures.•Thermal conduction management by studying the effects of structure design variables.•Establishment of numerical models containing heat transfer and fluid flow patterns.•Proposition of specific thermal conductivity for evaluating mass and conduction performance.