design of an energy absorbing structure inspired by butterfly shape and fabrication using 3d-printing with pla and abs materials: a numerical study

With the rapid advancement of additive manufacturing (am) technologies, the fabrication oflightweight lattice structures with complex geometries and enhanced mechanical performancehas become increasingly feasible. this study presents the design and numerical analysis of anovel bioinspired lattice structure derived from the morphology of butterfly wings, aiming toimprove energy absorption capabilities. two thermoplastic materials, pla and abs, wereemployed to fabricate the structures using 3d printing, resulting in two configurations: bwp(pla-based) and bwa (abs-based). finite element simulations were conducted inabaqus/explicit to evaluate the compressive behavior and energy absorption performance ofthe designs. the results, presented through force–displacement curves and deformationpatterns, revealed that while the bwa structure exhibited higher load-bearing capacity (up to100 kn), the bwp structure demonstrated superior energy absorption metrics, includinghigher ea, sea, and eae values. given the importance of specific energy absorption (sea)in impact-related applications, the bwp structure is identified as the optimal design for use in energy-absorbing components such as crash boxes and protective systems.