Design of a programmable particle filtering medium using a novel auxetic metamaterial

Abstract This study presents the design and development of a 2D auxetic filtering medium with programmable geometric features specifically designed to vary under in-plane tensile strain. This feature empowers the filtering medium to control the particles separation. A novel design and optimisation algorithm developed in Matlab ® determines the final optimized geometry of the filtering medium based on the desired particle size input. Upon thorough numerical investigation, an empirical relationship between the linear elastic in-plane tensile strain and aperture size of the proposed metamaterial is revealed. This empirical relation can be used in mechatronic and control systems to steer the proposed filtering medium. A prototype of such filtering medium capable of classification of particles of size 4 mm to 4.5 mm, when subjected to linear strain, is fabricated through fused deposition modelling process. The developed geometry configurations in this research are scalable, providing a potential cost-effective and efficient solution for industrial applications including reconfigurable filtration and segregation systems.