Investigations on the mechanical properties of multi-directional graded cellular structures based on gyroid surface

•A novel multi-directional graded cellular structure based on gyroid surface is designed.•Mechanical properties of the fabricated cellular structures were investigated experimentally.•Mechanical properties of multi-directional graded cellular structures were analyzed and compared.•Mechanical properties of cellular structures with three-directional gradients could be finely tuned. A novel multi-directional graded cellular structure based on gyroid surface is designed and additively manufactured in this work. Through quasi-static compression tests, their mechanical characteristics were assessed. The results revealed that cellular structures featuring bidirectional and three-directional gradients exhibit notably enhanced mechanical performance compared to unidirectional gradients (8.8% for energy absorption, 89.7% for compressive strength, 53.9% and 66.3% for elastic modulus and yield strength, respectively). Moreover, the mechanical properties of structures with three-directional gradients can be finely tuned by adjusting gradient variation. Consequently, these innovative multi-directional graded cellular structures offer promising potential across diverse applications as efficient energy absorbers.