Guided transition waves in multistable mechanical metamaterials
Abstract
Transition fronts, moving through solids and fluids in the form of propagating domain or phase boundaries, have recently been mimicked at the structural level in bistable architectures. What has been limited to simple one-dimensional (1D) examples is here cast into a blueprint for higher dimensions, demonstrated through 2D experiments and described by a continuum mechanical model that draws inspiration from phase transition theory in crystalline solids. Unlike materials, the presented structural analogs admit precise control of the transition wave’s direction, shape, and velocity through spatially tailoring the underlying periodic network architecture (locally varying the shape or stiffness of the fundamental building blocks, and exploiting interactions of transition fronts with lattice defects such as point defects and free surfaces). The outcome is a predictable and programmable strongly nonlinear metamaterial motion with potential for, for example, propulsion in soft robotics, morphing surfaces, reconfigurable devices, mechanical logic, and controlled energy absorption.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 22, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1913228117
Entities
People
- Ahmad Rafsanjani
- Dennis Kochmann
- Jochen Mueller
- Katia Bertoldi
- Lishuai Jin
- Romik Khajehtourian
- Vincent Tournat
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- California Institute of Technology
- ETH Zurich
- Harvard University
- Le Mans University
- Swiss National Science Foundation
- Tianjin University
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering