A novel hybrid auxetic honeycomb with enhanced load-bearing and energy absorption properties

Auxetic structures with negative Poisson's ratio exhibit excellent performance in cushioning, shear resistance and energy absorption, but their load-bearing capacity is usually poor. To address this drawback of the conventional Auxetic structure, a star-rhombic honeycomb (SRH) design is proposed in this paper to improve its load-bearing capacity. Analytical models of the elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio of this structure for different loading directions are developed. Quasi-static compression experiments were conducted on SRH specimens fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) technique. Good agreement was achieved between the simulated and experimental stress response curves and deformation patterns. It was found that the SRH structure possessed better elastic modulus and energy absorption capacity than the SH structure without sacrificing the auxetic properties. The elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio of SRH under the x loading direction are more sensitive to the changes of structural parameters. An optimum energy absorption performance is achieved for an appropriate ratio of the inner rhombic strut thickness to outer reentrant strut thickness (k = 0.5). The specific energy absorption of SRH is improved by 136% and 75% compared to that of the conventional reentrant honeycomb (RH) and star honeycomb (SH), respectively. It has advantages for application scenarios with requirements for both auxetic and load bearing properties.