Investigation of the Energy Absorption Characteristics and Negative Poisson’s Ratio Effect of an Improved Star-Shaped Honeycomb

An improved star-shaped honeycomb (ISSH) is a kind of honeycomb structure with excellent performance. The main objective of this study was to provide some ideas for the optimization of the ISSH structure in ships. As a result, 2D-ISSH specimens were fabricated using 3D printing technology, and a quasistatic compression test was carried out to investigate the deformation mode and mechanical properties. The experimental results showed that the 2D-ISSH structure exhibited “V”-shaped and “-”-shaped deformation patterns with a double-platform stress stage. To further utilize the excellent performance of the structure and obtain a better negative Poisson’s ratio effect and broader application, based on the properties of the 2D-ISSH specimen, a 3D-ISSH structure was proposed and a finite element simulation was carried out. The simulation results of the 3D-ISSH structure showed different deformation patterns, including “X”- shaped and “-”-shaped patterns. According to the deformation mechanism of typical cells, the stress formula for the 3D-ISSH double platform was derived, and the theoretical results agreed well with the numerical results. The effects of the structural design, materials, and dimensions on the mechanical properties, such as the energy absorption and negative Poisson’s ratio, of the ISSH and similar structures were explored. The combined performance of various honeycombs was evaluated from multiple perspectives.