An additively manufactured fractal structure for impact absorption applications

Today, new structural concepts have an impact on all areas of engineering, including those human safety centered. Fractals are an example of self-similar geometries designed using mathematics in an attempt to imitate nature's tested patterns. However, the complexity of the generated geometries is often too technically unfeasible to manufacture with traditional processes. The solution to this problem can be found in the additive manufacturing (AM) approach. This work proposes a novel fractal structure of high impact absorption performance for personal protective equipment applications, specifically designed for the production by AM polymeric powder bed-based technique.