Shape-Adaptive Metamaterials Using Bistable Laminates

Abstract

In this work, a novel shape-adaptive metamaterial comprising a periodic arrangement of unit cells with bistable laminates has been proposed. This instability-based metamaterial demonstrates shape morphing by utilizing geometrical nonlinearity under a snapping load. The aim of this work is to design a metamaterial that can address the conflicting requirements of an adaptive structure: load-carrying, shape adaptive, and lightweight at the same time. Such structures can have potential applications in adaptive components of aircraft and wind turbine blades, robotics, deployable space structures, and many others. Finite element investigations have been employed to manifest how the designed metamaterial can change from one configuration to another through the application of loads. The minimum load to snap a unit cell and subsequently, a lattice is found through the resulting load–displacement curve from the finite element simulations. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.