Application of Chiral Cellular Structures for the Design of Innovative Structural Assemblies; Final rept. 15 May 2004-14 Nov 2007

摘要

The objective of the project is to investigate the potential of cellular structures for the design of structural components with superior, new and multifunctional characteristics. In particular, the project focuses on a new topology, the chiral topology, which provides the cellular assembly with unique mechanical properties which include a negative in-plane Poisson's ratio, a correspondingly high shear modulus, high displacement capabilities in the elastic range of the material, and large design flexibility, whereby properties and behavior of the assembly can be significantly altered through variations in its characteristic geometric parameters. The applications that have so far been considered include sandwich panels with honeycomb core, and truss-core airfoils, and acoustic band gap materials. Advantages with respect to current designs, and multi-functionality are particularly investigated.