Hierarchical Cellular Structures with Tailorable Proparties

Abstract

Abstract Hierarchical structures are found in many natural and man-made materials [1]. This structural hierarchy play an important role in determining the overall mechanical behavior of the structure. It has been suggested that increasing the hierarchical level of a structure will result in a better performing structure [2]. Besides, honeycombs are well known structures for lightweight and high strength applications [3]. In this work, we have studied the mechanical properties of honeycombs with hierarchical organization using theoretical, numerical, and experimental methods. The hierarchical organization is made by replacing the edges of a regular honeycomb structure with smaller regular honeycomb. Our results showed that honeycombs with structural hierarchy have superior properties compared to regular honeycombs. The results show that a relatively broad range of elastic properties, and thus behavior, can be achieved by tailoring the structural organization of hierarchical honeycombs, and more specificall...