Ultrastiff metamaterials generated through a multilayer strategy and topology optimization.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Computational Design

Background:

• Lattice metamaterials offer unique properties based on their geometrical primitives (beam, plate, shell).
• Exploiting the distinct advantages of each structural archetype is crucial for advanced material design.
• Existing design methods may limit the full potential of combining different structural elements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel multilayer strategy combined with topology optimization for lattice metamaterial design.
• To enhance design space and freedom for creating complex metamaterial structures.
• To achieve superior mechanical and functional properties through optimized designs.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a multilayer strategy to expand the design space.
• Application of topology optimization to explore optimal configurations within the enlarged design space.
• Design and analysis of beam-plate-shell-combined metamaterials.

Main Results:

• Optimized metamaterials exhibit ultrahigh stiffness and significantly improved energy absorption under large deformations.
• The proposed method automatically generates combined beam-plate-shell metamaterials.
• Tunable mechanical properties (isotropic elasticity, functionally graded materials) and functional performances (acoustic, electrostatic, fluid tuning) were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The multilayer strategy and topology optimization effectively create advanced lattice metamaterials with unprecedented performance.
• This approach enables the design of a wide range of synthetic and composite metamaterials with tailored properties.
• The methodology holds significant potential for future innovations in materials science and engineering.