One-way transmission in topological mechanical metamaterials based on self-locking

Abstract

Directional response is of great use both in daily life and in technological areas, for example, in a semiconductor diode or the directional propagation of waves. We realize a mechanical directional response, i.e., one-way displacement transmission, using a novel topological mechanical metamaterial. The one-way transmission is predicted by theoretical analysis and verified by simulations and experiments. The difference in the directional response when the structure is loaded at opposite sides can reach many dozen-fold. A design guide for the displacement reduction factor is proposed to achieve a more significant one-way transmission property. The proposed topological mechanical metamaterial provides a new concept in achieving a directional response and could be applied as signal transport and isolation, mechanical diodes, mechanical logic gates and so on.