Soft Periodic Structures with multiple folding mechanisms
Sicong Shan (Harvard University), Sung Kang (Harvard University), James Weaver (Harvard University), elizabeth Chen (Harvard University), Katia Bertoldi (Harvard University), Cangyu Qu (Tsinghua Unversity)
Soft Materials and Structures
Mon 2:40 - 4:00
Barus-Holley 158
Natural and structural materials are often inhomogeneous on small scales and possess specic microstructure. Recently experimental techniques have been developed to fabricate periodic cellular structures while having control over the geometry of the resultant structures. Remarkably, periodic cellular structures have shown strikingly new physical properties. They not only provide superior mechanical properties, but can also be effectively exploited to guide, filter and redirect waves. However, most of the phononic/photonic devices to date are used as manufactured. Recently, it has been shown that instabilities can be exploited to design a new class of adaptive structures whose properties such as band-gaps, color, and Poisson’s ratio can be reversibly tuned. In search of a more versatile, adaptive structure, we have investigated experimentally and numerically the response of lattices with multiple degrees of freedom , which can undergo multiple pattern transformation depending on loading conditions. Our study will not only contribute to define design guidelines for tunable metamaterials, but also enrich fundamental understanding of the characteristics of soft porous structures.