Programmable behavior of the metamaterial by kinds of unit cells connection

The paper is devoted to the numerical analysis of uniaxial loading of a sample of the mechanical metamaterial. The structure of the mechanical metamaterial is constructed of a ring and four ligaments, which make up a tetrachiral structure. The peculiarity of such a structure consists in torsion of the sample under the force load. Two methods of connecting cells in the metamaterial are considered: "adjoining" and "overlapping". The "adjoining" method of joining cells increases the thickness of the internal structure of the sample, which allows us to consider it as a topological defect of the metamaterial. The "overlapping" method saves the base material from which the tetrachiral structure is constructed. Differences in the structure when constructing a three-dimensional sample result in a significant change in the characteristics of the sample. Numerical solution of the problem is performed in a three-dimensional formulation using the finite element method. The constitutive relation describing the behavior of the model corresponds to Hooke's law. Numerical simulation of uniaxial loading made it possible to obtain the results of mechanical response and to analyze the effective properties of metamaterials. A topological defect in the form of a thickening of the internal structure elements led to a difference in the linear dimensions of the two samples. The increased thickness of the unit cell connection elements resulted in a decrease in the effective density of the metamaterial sample. The same sample showed a triple increase in the value of the elastic modulus. The greater ability to resist deformation resulted in a reduced twist effect compared to the sample whose cells were joined by the "overlapping" method. The results obtained will make it possible to program the mechanical behavior and properties of the metamaterial sample.