Tunable Multifunctional Metamaterial Sandwich Panel with Quasi-Zero Stiffness Lattice Cores: Load-Bearing, Energy Absorption, and Vibration Isolation

The interest in novel mechanical metamaterials that offer advanced functionalities and mechanical tunability for highly compatible multifunctional performance in state-of-the-art engineering applications is growing. Here, a novel tunable multifunctional mechanical metamaterial, also known as a metamaterial sandwich panel, which can achieve load-bearing, energy absorption, and low-frequency vibration isolation properties simultaneously, is reported. The designed metamaterial sandwich panel is composed of a quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) lattice core and two kirigami-style surfaces, which endow the metamaterial sandwich panel with multi-function performance and tunable properties. As a proof-of-concept, the mechanical properties and tunable multifunctional performance of the proposed metamaterial sandwich panel are demonstrated both in simulations and experiments. This work provides a new alternative for designing novel mechanical metamaterials with tunable multifunctional performance and may have potential applications in a variety of engineering applications, such as medical transportation, marine systems, and aerospace applications.