Numerically optimal study of a polygonal cellular metamaterial with auxetic effect: Energy absorption aspect and compression characteristics

This study investigates the specific energy absorption (SEA) capacity and auxetic behavior of the PCSs subjected to the low-velocity impact (LVI). VeroWhite resin is selected as the base material. Instead of traditional energy absorption studies conducted across varying loading velocities or cyclic layers, we investigate the PCSs’ energy absorption capacity through a parametric study employing an orthogonal design. Three structural geometric parameters are considered as factors, with each factor comprising four levels. The orthogonal table yields 16 unique combinations, corresponding to 16 PCSs with distinct geometries. The collective SEA assessment of these combinations identifies the “optimum combination”, whose exceptional SEA capacity demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed approach for tailoring the SEA properties of cellular structures. Additionally, the findings reveal that incorporating a convex feature into the geometry of conventional re-entrant honeycomb structures significantly influences their energy absorption capabilities. This work introduces a new and simple method for conducting parametric studies on the mechanical properties of cellular structures, enabling the identification of peak values. The employed strategy also holds promise for investigating the acoustic and thermal properties of honeycomb structures.