Multi stable mechanical metamaterials with shape reconfiguration and zero Poisson's ratio
Abstract We investigate the mechanical response of elastic solids perforated with double U array of parallel fine crack, which leaves tailored mechanical metamaterials containing repeated snapping units with programmed tensile behavior. Our results indicate that under uniaxial tension the metamaterials undergo a large extension caused by buckling snap through instabilities, and exhibit very small transverse deformation. We find that by largely stretching the pre cracked specimens, nonlinear mechanical responses including self recovering snapping and multi stability enabling snapping behaviors can be generated by tuning the relative stiffness of the curved segments. On this basis, topology analysis is carried out to design three dimensional (3D) multi stable configurations for practical applications such as shape reconfigurable tubes as well as variable stiffness and strength material. This work gives rise to the design, analysis and manufacture of zero Poisson's ratio and shape reconfigurable materials.