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• Theory of lattice metamaterials under sinusoidal distributed static loads • Two basic modes of static damping of distributed pressure waves are identified • Dependence of effective shear modulus on a spatial frequency of the load • Pathway toward intelligent mechanical systems able to distinguish load patterns We discuss response properties of lattice metamaterials to sinusoidal distributed static loads applied on a material edge. Analytical displacement solutions are obtained using a Fourier domain transfer matrix for both essential and natural boundary conditions, which are valid for a state of plane strain in orthorhombic lattices, as well as for planar metasurfaces. These solutions give sinusoidal displacement profiles in the material interior of the same wavenumber (spatial frequency) as the boundary load. Their amplitudes decay in the material interior in one of two possible ways, exponential or oscillatory exponential, depending on the lattice design and on the spatial frequency of the load. There is a tendency for the oscillatory exponential behavior to occur at lower wavenumbers representing smoother boundary loads. As explained on a specific example, comparing the metamaterial's response amplitudes with those of a homogenous material also allows studying an effective, wavenumber-dependent shear modulus of the lattice, which can take both positive and negative values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A class of beam-like lattice structures, or metabeams under static, sinusoidally distributed transverse loads is discussed. Their neutral axis deflects either in-phase, out-of-phase or shows no deflection, depending on the beam design parameters, and also on the spatial frequency of the static load. These outcomes contrast the behavior of continuum beams, deflecting always in-phase with the load, and they are interpreted on the basis of a positive, negative and near-infinite effective Young's modulus of the structured beams in bending. They also represent a collective effect of the behavior of multiple elements in the lattice that cannot be realized from the performance of an isolated unit cell. A long-range periodic order and nonlocality of the lattice interaction is essential for this unusual behaviors, and those are particularly pronounced at higher wavenumbers, when the load wavelength becomes comparable with the range of direct interactions in the lattice. Theoretical discussion and predictions agree well with numerical experiments performed on the basis of commonly accepted models. Practical applications could be found in advanced reinforcing materials for building foundations, deformation mitigation for lightweight structures and bridges, and in smart mechanical systems able to differentiate external stimuli and to respond selectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This discussion starts with a mechanics version of Parseval's energy theorem applicable to any discrete lattice material with periodic internal structure: a microtruss, grid, frame, origami or tessellation. It provides a simple relationship between the strain energy volumetric/usual and spectral distributions in the reciprocal space. The spectral energy distribution leads directly to a spectral entropy of lattice deformation (Shannon's type), whose variance with a material coordinate represents the decrease of information about surface loads in the material interior. Spectral entropy is also a basic measure of complexity of mechanical responses of metamaterials to surface and body loads. Considering transformation of the energy volumetric and spectral distributions with a material coordinate pointed away from a surface load, several interesting anomalies are seen even for simple lattice materials, when compared to continuum materials. These anomalies include selective filtering of surface Raleigh waves (sinusoidal pressure patterns), Saint-Venant effect inversion illustrated by energy spectral distribution contours, occurrence of 'hiding pockets' of low deformation, and redirection of strain energy maximum away from axis of a concentrated surface load. The latter phenomenon can be significant for impact protection applications of mechanical metamaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Mechanics analogue of the Parseval's energy theorem is discussed, leading to a spectral density of the strain energy (in a reciprocal space). • Energy spectral density reflects the ways how an elastic medium translates static deformation patterns between two points in space. • Spectral entropy of static deformation is proposed, as a measure of information available in the material interior about surface loads or disorder introduced into elastic medium by deformation. • Both differential and discrete/numerical entropies of Shannon's type are discussed, and the differential entropy is derived analytically for isotropic solids under Gauss loads. • Approaches to numerical calculation of spectral entropy in computational solid mechanics are discussed. Abstract A broader range of analytical tools can enhance understanding of the unusual mechanical properties of metamaterials and other advanced material systems. Here, we discuss a mechanics analogue of the Parseval's energy theorem that leads to a density of the strain energy in the reciprocal space. It reflects the ways for an elastic medium to translate static deformation patterns between two points in space. A normalized spectral density also provides an information entropy of deformation at those points. Both differential and discrete (numerical) entropies of the Shannon's type are discussed. Spectral entropy is a basic measure of information available in the material interior about surface loads, or a measure of disorder introduced into elastic medium by the deformation. An exact analytical entropy function is derived for an isotropic plane solid under Gauss-distributed and point loads. Approaches to numerical calculation of spectral entropy in computational solid mechanics are also discussed. Energy spectral density and spectral entropy of an elastic continuum is shown to translate, logically, in agreement with the Saint-Venant's principle. However, it also becomes clear that microstructured media may demonstrate anomalous pathways of evolution of the strain energy spectrum, enabling interesting transformation mechanics studies of engineered material systems. Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative extensibility metamaterials are able to contract against the line of increasing external tension. A bistable unit cell exhibits several nonlinear mechanical behaviors including the negative extensibility response. Here, an exact form of the total mechanical potential is used based on engineering strain measure. The mechanical response is a function of the system parameters that specify unit cell dimensions and member stiffnesses. A phase diagram is calculated, which maps the response to regions in the diagram using the system parameters as the coordinate axes. Boundary lines pinpoint the onset of a particular mechanical response. Contour lines allow various material properties to be fine-tuned. Analogous to thermodynamic phase diagrams, there exist singular “triple points” which simultaneously satisfy conditions for three response types. The discussion ends with a brief statement about how thermodynamic phase diagrams differ from the phase diagram in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Analytical nodal displacement solutions are derived in 2D plate-like lattices • Periodic boundary conditions on side surfaces form the topological cylinder • Solutions are the superposition of Fourier mode dependent states of deformation • Analytical solutions are validated with finite element analysis software Abaqus™ Nodal displacements for two dimensional plate-like lattices under static loading are solved in exact analytical form, when periodic boundary conditions are applied to the top and bottom surfaces of the lattice forming a topological cylinder. Discrete Fourier transform converts the governing equation of static equilibrium into a set of one dimensional wavenumber dependent problems. Characteristic solutions are developed for each Fourier mode of deformation. Inverse discrete Fourier transform converts the wavenumber domain function back to the spatial domain by taking a linear combination of the one dimensional harmonic solutions. As an example, the point force is decomposed into a set of wavenumber dependent loading profiles. A linear combination of the displacement solutions for the individual harmonic loading profiles is sufficient to reproduce the overall displacement solution for the point load. This property holds for any type of the load. Nodal displacements, expressed with analytical dependence on the nodal indices n and m , match the results of commercial finite element analysis software. Overall, this paper demonstrates that the static response of discrete lattices is equivalently represented as a superposition of the wavenumber domain solutions, which is analogous to frequency domain analysis in acoustic metamaterials and phononics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses an x-braced metamaterial lattice with the unusual property of exhibiting bandgaps in their deformation decay spectrum, and, hence, the capacity for reprogramming deformation patterns. The design of polarizing non-local lattice arising from the scenario of repeated zero eigenvalues of a system transfer matrix is also introduced. We develop a single mode fundamental solution for lattices with multiple degrees of freedom per node in the form of static Raleigh waves. These waves can be blocked at the material boundary when the solution is constructed with the polarization vectors of the bandgap. This single mode solution is used as a basis to build analytical displacement solutions for any applied essential and natural boundary condition. Subsequently, we address the bandgap design, leading to a comprehensive approach for predicting deformation pattern behavior within the interior of an x-braced plane lattice. Overall, we show that the stiffness parameter and unit-cell aspect ratio of the x-braced lattice can be tuned to completely block or filter static boundary deformations, and to reverse the dependence of deformation or strain energy decay parameter on the Raleigh wavenumber, a behavior known as the reverse Saint Venant's edge effect (RSV). These findings could guide future research in engineering smart materials and structures with interesting functionalities, such as load pattern recognition, strain energy redistribution, and stress alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]