Programmable mechanical metamaterials based on hierarchical rotating structures

A novel two-dimensional (2D) mechanical metamaterial with highly programmable mechanical response under compressive load is presented in this paper by introducing hierarchical rotating structures, in which flexible structures are used to replace the rigid part in conventional rotating rigid structures. Multi-step deformation pathways and negative Poisson's ratio were observed in in situ compression experiments and finite element simulations, suggesting that the mechanical behavior of the hierarchical metastructure is highly ordered and can be programmed by constraining angles of the proposed metamaterial. This work offers new insights to create mechanical metamaterial using hierarchical rotating structures for flexible devices and crashworthiness applications. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper presents a novel two-dimensional mechanical metamaterial with highly programmable mechanical response by introducing hierarchical rotating structures, which shows multi-step deformation pathways and negative Poisson's ratio. The mechanical behavior of the hierarchical metastructure is highly ordered and can be programmed by constraining angles, offering new insights for creating mechanical metamaterial for flexible devices and crashworthiness applications.