Enhancing the compression resistance of buffer cushions using an inner concave negative Poisson’s ratio structure

To enhance the compression resistance of the existing buffer cushions, this paper developed a novel buffer cushion with an inner concave negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) structure. The structure parameters of buffer cushion were optimized based on orthogonal experimental design and theoretical analysis. Furthermore, the finite element models of the NPR cushion and a comparable hexagonal cushion were established. Then the quasi-static compression and dynamic impact compression simulations and compression experiments using a 3D printed model were conducted to analyze the compression resistance of the NPR cushion. The results showed that the developed NPR cushion exhibited good compressive properties under a uniform load of at most 47 MPa, and its deformation was 73.49% of the deformation of the hexagonal cushion, indicating an improvement in compressive resistance. In the simulation analysis, the stresses of the two buffer cushions in the case of dynamic impact compression were much larger than those in quasi-static compression. The consistency between simulations and experiments results validated the design's effectiveness in improving compression resistance, offering a valuable reference for the application of NPR structures in cushion design.