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• Auxetic origami honeycomb structure 3D-printed using stainless steel. • Impact tests on cushioning performance of auxetic origami structures conducted. • Auxetic origami structures exhibit higher plateau stress and specific energy absorption. • A smaller width-to-thickness ratio leads to higher energy absorption. • The folding angle significantly affects the stress and energy absorption. The honeycomb structure with a negative Poisson's ratio, inspired by the Miura origami unit, exhibits three-dimensional negative Poisson's ratio characteristics and effective energy dissipation performance. This unique property provides significant potential in the field of protection applications. This study aims to comprehensively understand the impact of auxetic and origami structures on the cushioning performance of honeycomb structures. For this purpose, 316 L stainless steel specimens were fabricated using 3D printing technology and subjected to drop hammer impact tests, and the results were verified by finite element simulation. This paper focuses on assessing the deformation mode and energy dissipation performance of origami auxetic honeycomb structures with varying width-to-thickness ratios and folding angles under different impact energy levels. The results indicate that the negative Poisson's ratio origami specimens exhibit higher plateau stress and specific energy absorption compared to their positive and zero Poisson's ratio origami counterparts with the same geometry. In addition, a smaller width-to-thickness ratio and higher input impact energy enhance the cushioning performance of honeycomb structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The proposed auxetic honeycomb possesses more excellent auxetic behavior and specific energy absorption than the conventional honeycomb. • The interaction between the structural parameters is analyzed. • The multi-objective optimization of the enhanced auxetic honeycomb (EAH) was investigated. • The theoretical model and Box-Behnken Design model were used to predict the mechanical properties of EAH. In response to the challenge of low stiffness and energy absorption capacity, various designs of negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) structures have emerged. However, these designs often lack a comprehensive analysis of other mechanical properties, leading to subpar mechanical performance. Previous studies have explored the mechanical properties response of enhanced re-entrant honeycombs (ERH) under impact conditions, revealing limitations in optimizing the structure's performance with a single objective. Therefore, this study aims to enhance ERH structural parameters to achieve superior mechanical performance through theoretical derivations and geometric optimizations. The results demonstrate that the proposed theoretical model is consistent with finite element analysis and response surface (RS) predictions. Expressions for Young's modulus, specific energy absorption, and compressive strength are proposed, facilitating the identification of structural parameters that meet specific requirements during reverse design. Furthermore, a multi-objective optimization approach optimizes the geometric parameters based on maximum energy absorption and compressive strength. The mechanical behavior of the optimized ERH is investigated using the finite element method, revealing the energy absorption capacity of 13.78 J/g while maintaining Poisson's ratio at -1.06. Additionally, the deformation mode of the optimized structure showcases enhanced stability compared to traditional honeycomb structures. The theoretical model and RS method were used to guide the design of ERH and promote the application of NPR structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Re-entrant anti-trichiral honeycomb is a typical auxetic material. The collapse process can be divided into three stages while its negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) effect under large deformation is still unclear. In the present paper, the NPR effects of re-entrant anti-trichiral honeycombs under large deformation are studied by numerical and theoretical method. Numerical results are verified by the experiments with respect to their deformation mechanism and stress-strain behavior. Theoretical formulas are derived to predict the NPR effect of the honeycomb under large deformation. The analytical predictions are in good agreement with the FEM results. It is revealed that the NPR effect of the honeycomb is magnified with the global strain in the second stage while is weaken in the third stage of the deformation process. The decrease of the ligament-ratio and the mean radius will result in more obvious NPR effect. Variation of cell-wall thickness doesn't have much impact on the Poisson's ratio in the second stage, while smaller cell-wall thickness will induce larger NPR in the third stage. The present work is supposed to shed light on the design and fabrication of re-entrant anti-trichiral honeycombs with desired Poisson's ratio. Image 1 • Analytical predictions of the NPR effect under large deformation exhibits a good agreement with the numerical results. • A special deformation mechanism and stress-strain behavior are illustrated by the experiments and numerical simulations. • The negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) of the honeycombs varies differently with strain at different stages. • Variation of cell-geometry parameters greatly influence the NPR effect of the honeycombs. • More evident NPR effect is exhibited when the honeycomb gradually develops into the conventional re-entrant honeycomb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to comprehensively understand the dynamic response of auxetic honeycombs, theoretical analysis are conducted to predict the NPR effect and the crushing stress of the re-entrant hexagonal honeycomb. The honeycomb’s crushing stress is a function of the cell’s geometric parameters, crushing velocity and the mechanical property of the cell-wall material. Results show that the crushing stress enhances with the increasing crushing velocity. A dynamic sensitivity index is employed to quantitatively evaluate this enhancement. It is shown that small cell-wall angle, low relative density or high cell-wall length ratio of the honeycomb attribute high velocity-sensitivity to the crushing stress. The Poisson’s ratio of the re-entrant honeycomb is also expressed as a function of the cell’s geometric parameters. It is revealed that the NPR effect enhances with the increasing cell-wall angle and the decreasing cell-wall length ratio. All the theoretical predictions are verified by numerical simulations. Besides, an interesting phenomenon is noticed that the crushing velocity has significant influence on the honeycomb’s NPR effect at the early stage of crushing. However, this influence almost vanishes when the overall strain is larger than about 0.2. This present work is supposed to shed light on the design of the auxetic honeycomb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sandwich panels/sacrificial cladding systems composed of an auxetic core sandwiched between two faceplates can be considered an effective protective measure for reinforced concrete structures from blast loads. In this study, the effectiveness of re-entrant honeycomb core sandwich (RHS) protective panel systems, which exhibit a negative Poisson's ratio, to protect one-way simply supported reinforced concrete (RC) slabs subjected to a close-range detonation from high explosive charges was experimentally evaluated. Three large-scale field blast trials were carried out, namely an RC slab without protection as the reference test and two RC slabs with RHS protective systems under similar blast loading conditions. The RC slabs with RHS protective systems experienced catastrophic failure, unlike the unprotected reference slab that experienced only localised concrete damage. LS-DYNA numerical models were validated and agreed well with the experimental results. It was demonstrated that the transferred blast impulse to the main structure can be magnified by a factor of 1.6 by using an RHS protective system compared to an unprotected structure. Furthermore, the effect of the mass of the protective system was numerically studied. The numerical results showed that the blast protection level of the main structure is governed by the inertial resistance of the protective system rather than through energy absorption of the auxetic honeycomb core structure. • Response of RC panels protected by auxetic sandwich panels to close-in explosion is investigated experimentally and numerically. • The damage magnification effect of the auxetic sandwich panels is captured experimentally which has not been reported so far. • The impulse transferred to the main structure could be magnified by a factor of 1.6 compared to the unprotected structure. • The duality of energy absorption and inertial resistance of auxetic protective systems need to be considered at close standoff distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double arrowed honeycomb (DAH) is a typical auxetic material with negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) and excellent mechanical properties, showing a wide application prospect in aerospace, marine, automotive and other fields. In this work, we introduce the double circular arc walls into the regular DAH unit cell to improve the strength and energy absorption capability of the material. According to the position of the arc wall, three circular double arrowed honeycomb (CDAH) unit configurations were proposed, including upper-circular (U-type), lower-circular (L-type), and full-circular (F-type). The prototype specimens of DAH and CDAHs were fabricated by 3D printing and tested under quasi-static crushing. The finite element (FE) models of the specimens were established and validated by the experimental results. The experimental and numerical results showed that the three types of CDAHs have higher crushing stress, crush force efficiency (CFE) and specific energy absorption (SEA) than the DAH with the same geometric parameters, which is due to the formation of more plastic hinges at the joints and the middle of the arc walls. Specifically, the CFE of L-type CDAH is 25.8% higher than that of DAH, and the SEA of F-type CDAH is 85.9% higher than that of DAH. The detailed parameter analyses of CDAH revealed that small short inclined wall angle and lower circular arc radius, and large friction coefficient value, long inclined wall angle and cell wall thickness all lead to large SEA. Among the three types of CDAH, the U-type has the greatest SEA and the most NPR effect under the same relative density. Finally, a wide range of SEA and Poisson's ratio of the CDAH can be obtained by rationally designing the arc wall position and the geometric parameters of the unit cell. [Display omitted] • Quasi-static crushing behaviors of three novel types of circular double arrowed honeycombs (CDAHs) through experimental tests and numerical simulations. • More Energy absorption than regular double arrowed honeycomb (DAH) due to formation of more plastic hinges of arc walls. • Good agreement between experimental and numerical results in terms of deformation mode, crushing stress and specific energy absorption (SEA). • Effects of cell number, geometric parameter and relative density on crushing responses of CDAHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) effect, auxetic structures such as re-entrant honeycombs show excellent energy absorption and force mitigation capabilities under crushing load. Compared with two-dimensional (2D) auxetic structure, three-dimensional (3D) ones are expected to have better performance, but they are more difficult to fabricate. In this study, a hierarchical fabrication method for metallic 3D re-entrant honeycomb (3D-RH) using traditional manufacturing techniques is proposed. A 3D-RH specimen was crafted and tested under quasi-static crushing condition. The finite element (FE) model was established and verified by the experimental results. The numerical simulation results showed that the friction condition between 3D-RH specimen and loading surfaces has a great influence on the deformation mode of specimen. Moreover, the energy absorption capability of 3D-RH was numerically compared with a similar structure, i.e., the warp and woof periodic auxetic cellular (WWPAC) structure. The results showed that the specific energy absorption (SEA) of 3D-RH is 1.59 times that of WWPAC and the 3D-RH outperformed the latter in lightweight performance. Finally, the blast resistance of 3D-RH sandwich panel was numerically studied. Compared with 2D re-entrant expanded honeycomb (2D-REH) core, 3D-RH core can reduce the maximum deflection of lower face-sheet by 14.6%, and increase SEA by 20.5%, showing better blast resistance. • A hierarchical fabrication method of metallic 3D-RH has been proposed. • The method uses traditional manufacturing techniques to reduce fabrication cost. • The friction coefficient can alter the deformation mode of 3D-RH under crushing. • The energy absorption per unit mass of 3D-RH is greater than that of the WWPAC. • The 3D-RH shows better anti-blast performance than the 2D-REH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new vertical strut combined re-entrant auxetic structure was designed and its mechanical behaviors have been studied. An analytical model was established based on energy theorems considering bending, shearing and stretching. Numerical simulations and experiments were both carried out to confirm the validity of the analytical model based on beam theory. Results exhibited a good agreement between the refined analytical model, the numerical simulation and experimental study. Four deformation mechanisms were analyzed and the effect of deformation on the effective Poisson's ratio (EPR) and elastic module were investigated. A parametric study was further performed to quantitatively illustrate the influences of the geometrical parameters on the effective elasticity properties of the designed structure. The results showed that the lightweight structures can significantly enhance the auxetic behavior and achieve a high degree of anisotropy with wide vertical strut lengths and internal angles compared with conventional re-entrant honeycomb configurations. • An analytical model of a vertical strut combined auxetic structure was established. • Vertical strut and re-entrant angle mainly determined effective elasticity properties. • Four deformation mechanisms were considered and influenced auxetic behaviors. • Numerical simulations and experiments both validate the analytical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]