A study on the 3D hybrid mechanical metamaterials for energy absorption and vibration reduction performance

Abstract This research provides a design concept of hybrid mechanical metamaterials that possess superior mechanical properties, unique design geometries, and negative Poisson’s ratios that may be utilized for engineering applications. Metamaterial structures (denoted S1–S4) were designed by varying the re-entrant angles of unit cells to produce distinct negative Poisson’s ratios. The capability of the designed structure to resist deformation and vibration reduction was also assessed and compared to conventional designs of honeycomb structures, using finite element analysis through the use of Abaqus software. Specifically, separate studies were carried out on four metamaterial designs, each of which contained different features of re-entrant. The mechanical metamaterials produced amplitudes of acceleration, which were based upon synthesized designs, with Poisson’s ratios of −1.58, −1.95, −1.7, and −1.3 to establish measures of vibration reduction, when compared to the S4 honeycomb structure. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the new hybrid metamaterials S2 and S3 develop a different mechanical behavior of energy absorption, between 200–250 MPa, and displacements of 15 mm and 10 mm. In all studies, the metamaterials also demonstrated a notable reduction of vibrations in distinct frequency regions. The new hybrid metamaterials S1, S2, and S3 clearly demonstrate the efficacy of the designs for energy absorption and reduction of vibration performance. Vibration Level Difference (VLD) demonstrated for both S2 and S3 compares favorably against S1 and S4 classic honeycomb designs, which indicates this work showcases a design concept of hybrid mechanical metamaterials for both energy absorption and vibration performance.