Reprogramming Static Deformation Patterns in Mechanical Metamaterials

This paper discusses an x-braced metamaterial lattice with the unusual property of exhibiting bandgaps in their deformation decay spectrum, and, hence, the capacity for reprogramming deformation patterns. The design of polarizing non-local lattice arising from the scenario of repeated zero eigenvalues of a system transfer matrix is also introduced. We develop a single mode fundamental solution for lattices with multiple degrees of freedom per node in the form of static Raleigh waves. These waves can be blocked at the material boundary when the solution is constructed with the polarization vectors of the bandgap. This single mode solution is used as a basis to build analytical displacement solutions for any applied essential and natural boundary condition. Subsequently, we address the bandgap design, leading to a comprehensive approach for predicting deformation pattern behavior within the interior of an x-braced plane lattice. Overall, we show that the stiffness parameter and unit-cell aspect ratio of the x-braced lattice can be tuned to completely block or filter static boundary deformations, and to reverse the dependence of deformation or strain energy decay parameter on the Raleigh wavenumber, a behavior known as the reverse Saint Venant’s edge effect (RSV). These findings could guide future research in engineering smart materials and structures with interesting functionalities, such as load pattern recognition, strain energy redistribution, and stress alleviation.