Qualitative Analysis and Design of Mechanical Metamaterials

This paper presents a new mechanics-based framework for the qualitative analysis and conceptual design of mechanical meta-materials. The methodology is inspired by recent advances in the insightful synthesis of compliant mechanisms by visualizing a kinetostatic field of forces that flow through the mechanism geometry. The framework relates load flow behavior in the microstructure geometry to the global behavior of the materials, such as auxetic (negative poisson’s ratio), high bulk modulus, and high shear modulus. This understanding is used to synthesize and demonstrate novel planar microstructures that exhibit negative poisson’s ratio behavior. Furthermore, the paper identifies three unique classes of qualitative design problems for planar mechanical microstructures that can be potentially solved using this framework.