Evalulation of mechanical properties of linked zig-zag structure subjected to in-plane compressive load

In this paper, the mechanical properties of two-dimensional linked zig-zag structure subjected to in-plane compressive load was investigated. This structure has two counterphase layers consisted of inclined plate. The stiffness and the stored strain energy during the deformation were solved analytically based on the flexible bar theory proposed by Frisch-Fay(1962). In particular, the effects of micro-architecture of the zig-zag model on these mecahnical properties were discussed. The obtained theoretical results agree fairly with FE results. In addition, three cases of the compressive response of a connected zig-zag structure were examined in order to clarify the effective parameters on the equivalent elastic modulus and strain energy stored under certain constraining conditions.