In-plane elasticity of the re-entrant auxetic hexagonal honeycomb with hollow-circle joint

Abstract

This work proposed an improved modification on the common re-entrant hexagonal honeycomb (RHH) by replacing the solid junction of the cell walls with a small hollow circle, and thus achieving a novel kind of honeycomb. A simple energy-based approach was adopted to develop theoretical models for predicting the in-plane equivalent elastic moduli of the new honeycomb. Finite element analysis was employed to verify the theoretical models and then the effects of the micro geometrical parameters on the in-plane elastic behaviors were further discussed. The results showed that the new honeycomb possesses an obvious negative Poisson's ratio effect, meanwhile, can achieve higher specific Young's modulus and shear modulus than the RHH. Moreover, the new honeycomb was found to exhibit a more tailored anisotropy than the RHH from the off-axial properties analysis. As a result, the new honeycomb may be an effective substitute for the RHH in application and the new layout can be a good guide for the improved design of auxetic honeycombs.