Square-Based Honeycombs: A Study of Shape and Performance

This paper presents a study into the relationship between shape and performance of three families of honeycombs, all of which are based on a square grid. Parametric variations of the patterns were generated, and their elastic mechanical performance simulated to produce rotational plots of stiffness and deformation for loads applied under different orientations. Honeycombs are a type of cellular material, and their use in design applications is widespread, due to advantages they offer in terms of improved energy absorption, heat transfer and weight-to-strength ratio. Identifying and cataloguing the performance of honeycombs based on different patterns will be of benefit to designers with specific requirements for their design applications.