Mechanical properties and regulatory strategy of twinned tetrahedral lattice structures

Given the outstanding mechanical performance of lattice metamaterials, novel structural forms and performance modulation strategies have garnered considerable attention. Herein, we develop a twined tetrahedral lattice structure (TTL) with a bending defect inside the unit cell. Mechanical properties before and after the introduction of defects in TTLs were studied using experiments and numerical simulations. The developed structure exhibits strictly stretching-dominated properties in the absence of bending defects. Whereas, the bending-dominant component of TTLs is elevated with increasing bending angle that can increase energy absorption efficiency. Moreover, the relative elastic modulus and initial peak stress can be reduced by even more than 70 % and 50 %, respectively, as the bending angle increases. Besides, a theoretical model for the relative elastic modulus of TTL at θ = 0° was established based on the displacement method on the Representative Volume Element (RVE), including both Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and Timoshenko beam theory. However, the two solutions show consistent results for strictly stretching-dominated structures. The accuracy of solutions is verified by experiments and simulations. The plateau stress theoretical model for TTLs was derived from the deformation process of the RVE based on plastic hinge theory. The theoretical solutions under different θ align well with numerical and experimental results. Overall, TTLs have superior relative elastic modulus, relative yield strength, and specific energy absorption compared to common lattice structures. The developed TTLs provide a new perspective on the property regulation of mechanical metamaterials.