An improved BCC lattice structure for vibration isolation in extreme environment

A new improved body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice structure is proposed to improve the load capacity by adding a body-centered ball to reduce stress concentrations. The new lattice structure, named as body-centered cubic with balls (BCC-B) lattice structure, is characterized by lightweight, compactness, large load capacity, radiation resistance, and corrosion resistance, which can be widely used for vibration isolation in various areas such as ships, aerospace, nuclear facility, and so on. Theoretical model of BCC-B lattice structure is established. The influences of structure parameters of BCC-B lattice structure are analyzed by both theoretical and numerical methods. Both BCC and BCC-B lattice structure samples are prepared by using Ti-6Al-4V, of which the stiffness, rated load capacity, and yield strength are tested and compared detailly. Compared with the BCC lattice structure, the BCC-B lattice structure shows a 31.58% increase in rated load capacity, a 10.15% decrease in natural frequency, and a 29.53% increase in yield strength. This study might provide some insights for the development of vibration isolators with large load and low stiffness for applications in extreme environmental conditions such as limited space, nuclear radiation, and high temperatures in future.