Mechanics of a novel cellular structure for morphing applications

Cellular structures could obtain mechanical properties that are inaccessible with ordinary materials. A novel zero Poisson's ratio cellular structure with low in-plane moduli and great morphing capabilities for multiple in-plane morphing is proposed in this paper. Theoretical models of the elastic constants of the structure are established and verified by the finite element method. Results show that the equivalent moduli of the structure are several orders of magnitude lower and the maximum global strains are considerably larger than those of the raw material. Meanwhile, the mechanical properties possess large changing ranges under the variations of parameters. Comparisons between the proposed structure and two existing ones indicated that the proposed structure possesses better performance and larger range of material selection for in-plane tensile morphing, while with some drawbacks for the in-plane shear morphing. The proposed structure shows great potential as core for flexible skin or flexible structure for multiple in-plane morphing applications.