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• 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]

A star-shaped honeycomb with asymmetric cells is proposed in this paper. The accuracy of the finite element model is verified by experiments, and the mechanical characteristics and deformation modes of the honeycomb are studied by numerical simulation. First, the energy absorption and deformation modes of a star-shaped honeycomb with asymmetric cells were studied under low-, medium- and high-velocity impacts. Second, the influence of different angles and different wall thicknesses on the energy absorption of honeycomb was studied. The results show that model 3 exhibits obvious negative Poisson's ratio characteristics under different impact velocities. As the angle increases, the energy absorption and plateau stress of mode 1 also increase. However, for mode 3, increasing θ can enhance the negative Poisson's ratio, but the specific energy absorption and plateau stress of the structure will decrease. Compared with the traditional star-shaped honeycomb, θ = 50° for mode 1, the specific energy absorption and plateau stress are increased by 21.53% and 13.32%, respectively. With increasing wall thickness, the specific energy absorption and plateau stress were significantly increased. Compared with mode 1 with t = 0.5 mm and mode 1 with t = 0.75 mm, the specific energy absorption and plateau stress increased by 50.51% and 125.56%, respectively. • A star-shaped honeycomb with asymmetric cells (SSHAC) is proposed. • The SSHAC is designed in an axisymmetric manner, with six structures designed in different extension directions. • Compared with traditional star-shaped honeycomb, SSHAC has a more stable deformation mode. • SSHAC provides a certain reference for cells designed with asymmetric elements in symmetrical form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, auxetic metamaterials have turned into an area of growing interest, because of their deformation uniqueness, design flexibility, and functional diversity. To achieve their programmable design of densification and energy absorption, the variable stiffness factor method (VSF) emerged. However, the energy absorption capacity of the metamaterials designed by this method has a significant reduction. In this work, to remedy this defect, several different lightweight specimens are proposed and fabricated to extend the stage of energy absorption and retain the tunability. Then quasi-static compression tests and finite element methods are carried out to analyze the mechanical properties of the designed boundary-constrained structure (BCS) and X-shape constrained structure (XCS). The accuracy of the densification points and energy absorption capacity of the two structures at different VSF values are also studied. The results show that the densification points of the designed structures can be adjusted quantitatively, and their deformation modes are more stable than conventional structures during compression. Furthermore, their specific energy absorption is four and five times higher than that of non-lightweight structures with VSF = 40%, respectively. These findings contribute to advancing the implementation of auxetics in applications of multistage protective structures. • A lightweight metamaterial based on the variable stiffness factor (VSF) method is proposed. • The proposed structures realize multi-level energy absorption and stable deformation. • The SEA of proposed structures was 4 and 5 times higher than that of VSF = 40% structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel EARE is designed by introducing an elliptical annular into RE cell. • EARE produces extra vertical support without hindering lateral deformation. • EARE concurrently enhances auxetic performance, stiffness, and SEA. • Adjusting geometric parameters rationalizes designing mechanical properties. Auxetic structures have sparked a lot of interest due to their excellent mechanical characteristics and unusual negative Poisson's ratio influence. However, the large porosity property results in low stiffness, which limits their application scope. Current approaches to augment stiffness often result in diminished auxetic performance. Therefore, it is challenging to simultaneously enhance the auxetic, stiffness and energy absorption capacity of auxetic structures. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel elliptical annular re-entrant honeycomb (EARE) by introducing an elliptical annular structure into a conventional re-entrant honeycomb (RE) cell, which can provide extra longitudinal support without hindering lateral deformation. The plateau stress, Poisson's ratio and energy absorption properties of the EARE are investigated by quasi-static compressive tests and finite element modeling. The results show that the EARE honeycomb has two plateau stages due to the supporting effect of the elliptical annular structure. Compared with the conventional RE honeycomb with the same wall thickness, the EARE honeycomb not only exhibits a stronger auxetic effect embodied in the Poisson's ratio reduced by 5.19%, but also has a higher average plateau stress and a higher specific energy absorption of 171.63% and 28.03%, respectively, which significantly improves the stiffness and energy absorption performance. The parameterized analysis reveals that by appropriately adjusting the geometric parameters, the stiffness, energy absorption, and auxetic effect of the EARE honeycomb can be enhanced. The research findings address the conflict between auxetic performance and honeycomb stiffness, providing new insights into the optimization of honeycomb structure design. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative Poisson's ratio honeycombs have been widely studied in recent years due to their unique mechanical properties. A tetrachiral honeycomb (TCH) exhibits a bulging effect when subjected to in-plane impact, reducing its Poisson's ratio effect. To improve the performance of TCH, this study proposes two types of axisymmetric tetrachiral honeycombs (ATCH-1 and ATCH-2). First, the in-plane impact performances of TCH, ATCH-1, and ATCH-2 are compared via experiments, and the accuracy of the finite element model is validated. Then, the effects of the different parameters on the deformation modes, energy absorption characteristics, and negative Poisson's ratio effects of the three types of honeycombs are analyzed via finite element models. ATCH-1 and ATCH-2 have higher specific energy absorption (SEA) and a more significant negative Poisson's ratio effect than TCH at an impact velocity of 10 m/s. However, the axisymmetric honeycombs do not have advantages at impact velocities of 50 m/s and 100 m/s. The cylindrical radius r significantly affects the deformation mode of the three types of honeycombs. The axisymmetric design provides a new concept for the novel negative Poisson's ratio honeycomb design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been demonstrated that origami structures can be successfully used for honeycomb structures. And the excellent energy absorption properties of origami structures make them a promising candidate for use in cushioning when paired with honeycomb structures. Consequently, the honeycomb structure was recreated using origami structures to generate new specimens, aiming to reduce the initial peak force under out-of-plane crushing while maintaining the energy absorption properties. The specimens were created using 3D printing technology, and experiments with quasi-static flat pressing were carried out. The properties of the origami-based honeycomb were investigated during out-of-plane crushing, with an emphasis on its energy absorption properties. Additionally, the compressive properties of the origami-based honeycomb are compared with those of traditional re-entrant honeycomb in z-axial directions. To further investigate the properties of the origami-based honeycomb, a validated model was developed in Abaqus, and the accuracy of the finite element model's forecast was confirmed. The results show excellent lateral material shrinkage under axial compression, which is an obvious negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) effect, and a distinct hardening process with stiffness increases when the origami-based honeycomb structure experiences densification. Moreover, compared to the traditional re-entrant honeycomb structure, the origami-based honeycomb has a lower peak crushing force and a smoother plateau stress curve, making it an ideal material for protective structural applications. Increasing the height H or decreasing the forward length V are effective methods for increasing the structure's specific energy absorption (SEA). Additionally, different configurations will have distinct consequences for the structure. Compared to ordinary origami-based honeycombs, the honeycomb with different configurations has superior energy absorption properties and can also achieve stiffness jumps and segmental self-locking. • Under compression, the origami honeycomb displays an evident NPR and densification effect. • This origami honeycomb can effectively utilize the plastic deformation energy of materials. • Differently arranged origami honeycombs suffer stiffness jumps, enabling deformation control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the combination of mixed interpolation of tensorial components technique of triangular elements and the edge-based smoothed finite element method (ES-MITC3) developed on the higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT). The free vibration behavior of auxetic honeycomb sandwich plates with the functionally graded material (FGM) skin layers generated by the proposed program is trained and predicted by an artificial neural network (ANN) model using Matlab coding for reducing computational time and saving computer resources, the proposed approach is expected suitable for practical engineering problems. The strain field of edge-based smoothed triangular elements is approximated by using the generalized C0-HSDT and Lagrange shape functions. Ultra-light features of sandwich plates are obtained by using the auxetic honeycomb core layer (negative Poisson's ratio) and reinforced by FGM skin layers. The present results are compared with other published studies to verify the accuracy and reliability. Besides, the ANN model is also built to train obtained results and accurately predict the natural frequency of structures without running the code. Moreover, the effects of parameters such as geometrical and material properties (especially the auxetic parameters) on the free vibration behavior of auxetic honeycomb sandwich plates with FGM skin layers are investigated in detail. • An edge-smoothed FEM employing the HSDT is developed for vibration analysis of auxetic honeycomb sandwich plates. • The proposed ES-MITC3 element combined with HSDT is more accurate than the original MITC3 element. • Influences of geometrical and material properties on the free vibration of auxetic honeycomb sandwich plates are investigated. • An artificial neural network is established to predict the natural frequency of auxetic honeycomb sandwich plates accurately. • The proposed method can be developed to become the FEM benchmark solutions for auxetic honeycomb sandwich plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at achieving excellent energy absorption capacity, a novel periodic auxetic reentrant honeycomb structure is proposed by defining an octagon honeycomb unit cell with various shape parameters and reentrant angles. Additive manufacturing is applied to fabricate three groups of resin samples with different design parameters. Quasi-static compression experimental test is conducted obtaining the effects of negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) on the compressive stress–strain relationship of the proposed structure. The results show the excellent lateral material shrinkage under axial compression and distinct hardening process with sharp stiffness increase when the structure experiences densification. The experiment results are then used to validate the corresponding 3D finite element models. Good agreements are found between the experiment and finite element simulation results. Furthermore, a geometry parameter study is used to analyze the effect of design parameters on energy absorption capacity of the structure and the results can be a good reference for future optimal design of similar meta -materials. To summarize, in addition to the good energy absorption capacity, thanks to the obvious NPR effects and lateral shrinkage behavior, the newly proposed honeycomb meta-material with specific auxetic reentrant design becomes a solid material with low porosity and high stiffness after full compression to provide further protection or support for its neighbor objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]