The Impact of Additively Fabricated lattice Geometry on Liquid-Cooling Heat sink Performance for Railway Applications

Modifying the geometry of additively manufactured lattice structures holds the potential to improve the thermofluidic characteristics of heat sinks according literature. This study focuses on the investigation of six distinct lattice structure configurations based on the BCCz unit cell. The analysis included two types of cross-sections, namely circular and elliptical, as well as two non-uniform cross-sectional variations along the strut. All six configurations were additively manufactured, with the feasibility of producing elliptical and evolutive cross-sections confirmed through preliminary studies on the 3D printing technique. The effects of varying strut cross-section on heat transfer rates were examined both numerically and experimentally. CFD simulations and experimental measurements agree on the potential enhancement of heat transfer rate.