A Novel Three-Dimensional Anti-Tetrachiral Honeycomb

A novel three-dimensional lattice based on a generalization of the anti-tetrachiral geometry is presented and investigated using experimental, numerical, and analytical methods. The lattice is built through the use of a novel connectivity that is not only able to transmit the force imposed to other orthogonal directions but also induce a contraction in these other directions when uniaxially compressed. The experimental results for a specific geometry confirmed that the structure behaves auxetically when compressed along the Ox(1) direction. The parametric behavior of the structure is investigated using commercially available finite element software with the methodology being validated using experimental results. The results indicate that the structure will have a negative Poisson's ratio in all directions with the magnitude depending on the relative lengths of the ligaments, their thickness, and to a minor extent, their width. An analytical model is also derived and tested against the experimental and numerical results showing good agreement.