Hybrid mechanical metamaterials: Advances of multi-functional mechanical metamaterials with simultaneous static and...

Mechanical metamaterials are architected structures with unique functionalities, such as negative Poisson's ratio and negative stiffness, which are widely employed for absorbing energy of quasi-static and impact loads, giving improved mechanical response. Acoustic/elastic metamaterials, their dynamic counterparts, rely on frequency-dependent properties of their microstructure elements, including mass density and bulk modulus, to control the propagation of waves. Although such metamaterials introduced significant contribution for solving independently static and dynamic problems, they were facing certain resistance to their use in real-world engineering problems, mainly because of a lack of integrated systems possessing both mechanical and vibration attenuation performance. Advances in manufacturing processes and material and computational science now enable the creation of hybrid mechanical metamaterials, offering multifunctionality in terms of simultaneous static and dynamic properties, giving them the ability of controlling waves while withstanding the applied loading conditions. Exploring towards this direction, this review paper introduces the hybrid mechanical metamaterials in terms of their design process and multifunctional properties. We emphasize the still remaining challenges and how they can be potentially implemented as engineering solutions.