Node-locked multi-cell honeycomb for efficient energy absorption.

• Novel design strategy with cost-efficiency of multi-cell structure for energy absorption. • Shape of node-locked cell can be expanded for NMH. • Various bending shape selected for on-demand design of the node-locked effect. • Irregular localized deformation is beneficial to energy absorption of NMH. Material reconfiguration at node positions is currently a prominent method for enhancing the energy absorption capability of honeycomb structures. However, the complexity of cellar configuration poses challenges in the manufacture with cost-efficiency due to intricate preparation processes, which limits its widespread application. In this work, an innovative approach was proposed to fabricate the multi-cell honeycomb structure by nesting and assembling node-locked components with a specific shape. The stable energy absorption of multi-cell structure with node-locked design strategy was preliminarily validated by the numerical and experimental results. Additionally, the effect of the bent panels number and the cell size ratio were investigated numerically and theoretically to reveal the energy absorption mechanism of node-locked multi-cell honeycomb (NMH). It is demonstrated that the strategy by assembling node-locked components can significantly simplify preparation processes of multi-cell structure while maintaining excellent energy absorption capabilities, this offers a better balance between the cost-efficiency and superb energy absorption for multi-cell structures. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]