Improving the Mechanical Performance of Re-entrant Auxetic Structure Through Gradient Material Distribution

Auxetic structures are prominently identified for their outstanding energy absorption capability by the spatial arrangement of the unit cell. In this investigation, the mechanical performance of auxetic structures is improved by distributing the material at the stress concentration regions. Further, two well-known unit cells such as honeycomb and re-entrant honeycomb are combined to understand the effect on mechanical performance. The proposed designs are fabricated by additive manufacturing methods and the samples are subjected to tensile loading. Moreover, a finite element model is created, and the numerical findings are compared with experimental data.