Characterization and design of two-dimensional multi-morphology cellular structures for desired deformation

Abstract

Multi-morphology cellular structures have recently gained increased attention in many areas owing to their capability to adjust their geometric and mechanical properties spatially. These cellular structures hence deform differently from conventional uniform cellular structures. However, the relationship between their geometric and the manner of their deformation has not been extensively investigated. In this study, the deformation of multi-morphology cellular structures was characterized, and a deformation prediction method was proposed. More closely, the effects of multi-morphology cellular structures' design variables on their deformation were measured, and the effect of neighbouring unit cells at a given local area on deformation was evaluated. Based on the observations, a deformation prediction model considering the neighbouring effect was developed, and used in an optimization process for achieving the desired deformation. A numerical study was conducted to validate the proposed method, and the deformation of optimized multi-morphology cellular structures showed good agreement with the desired deformation.