A. Background & Motivation

Lightweight structures are essential in modern engineering applications such as aircraft, rockets, vehicles, and robotics. However, a fundamental challenge remains: lightweight designs tend to exhibit high vibration amplitudes, which can lead to structural fatigue, reduced performance, or even functional failure. Conventional solutions—such as adding mass or installing external damping components—often contradict the very goals of lightweight engineering.

Recent research at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) has shown that bio-inspired honeycomb and lattice structures can significantly alter vibration characteristics, including changes in eigenfrequencies and mode shapes . Early observations also suggest that irregular lattice patterns may provide additional benefits by enhancing damping behaviour beyond what regular lattices can achieve.

Yet, despite this promising potential, the influence of structural irregularity on damping properties has not been systematically studied. This represents a major knowledge gap in both academic research and industrial applications.

The project “VIbration DAmpening Lattice Structures (VIDA)” aims to close this gap by designing, manufacturing, and testing a large set of irregular lattice structures to uncover the structural patterns that most effectively increase damping performance in lightweight components.
 

B. Objective & Approach

Project Objective

The overarching goal of the VIDA project is to identify and quantify how different forms of structural irregularity in bio-inspired lattice geometries influence vibration damping. The outcomes will be translated into general design rules for engineering high-damping lightweight structures and into Synera software tools accessible to designers worldwide .

Approach
1. Design of Bio-Inspired Lattice Structures
Dozens of complex lattice geometries—regular, irregular, and biologically inspired—will be digitally developed. These include variations in edge connectivity, topology, and geometric disorder.

2. Additive Manufacturing
The designed structures will be 3D-printed using high-resolution processes suited for intricate lattice patterns.

3. Vibration Experiments
Each structure will undergo vibration testing to measure:

• eigenfrequency
• hysteresis-based energy dissipation
•  

4. Evaluation & Model Verification
Experimental results will be compared with numerical models to identify the structural patterns that most effectively enhance damping. These findings will form the basis for generalizable design principles.

5. Synera Integration
The extracted “design rules” will be translated into Synera add-ins, enabling engineers to automatically generate irregular, damping-optimized lattice structures inside a low-code design environment.

6. Publishing & Dissemination
Results will be submitted to a scientific journal, ensuring academic visibility and enabling wider application in research and industry.