Impact resistance analysis of a dual-constituent negative Poisson’s ratio lattice metamaterial with tailorable coefficient of thermal expansion

Abstract The combination of parameters such as negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) and negative coefficient of thermal expansion (NCTE) can result in novel materials with specialized functions to meet the requirements of multifunctional and multipurpose devices. However, the additional structural design to meet NCTE requires a re-examination of its impact resistance. In this paper, the deformation modes and impact resistance of dual-constituent re-entrant hexagonal lattice metamaterial (DRHLM) with both NPR and NCTE are investigated under different impact velocities, and the nominal stress-strain curves and energy absorption characteristics of DRHLM structures with different arch heights, chord lengths, and angles of the bottom edge ribs and the diagonal ribs are discussed. The results show that the bi-material bending ribs affect the energy absorption of the structure, and in most cases the DRHLM structure has a better energy absorption capacity than the traditional concave hexagonal structure, but too much or too little curvature of the bi-material portion reduces the energy absorption characteristics of the DRHLM structure. In addition, the increase in the pinch angle of the ribs leads to the weakening of the negative Poisson’s ratio effect, which is also detrimental to the energy absorption of the structure. The work done can provide guidance for finding the dimensional parameters of DRHLM structures with optimal energy absorption performance.