Novel compliant mechanism-based auxetic metamaterial: Kinematic and experimental analysis

The parametric study of mechanical metamaterials enables the design of structures and components with tailor-made properties. Novel topologies are designed through innovative strategies, such as the kinematic characteristics of linkages and mechanisms. Here, the kinematic analysis of a 10 -link, 1-DOF mechanism led to the design of a novel auxetic metamaterial based on its compliant version. Finite element models and laboratory experimentation on additively manufactured samples were conducted to characterize the Poisson's ratio of these novel kinematically designed metamaterials. By modifying parameters and unit cell arrangements, various magnitudes of auxeticity were observed, demonstrating the tunability of the topology. The findings presented here highlight the design possibilities of novel metamaterials with tailor-made responses, as well as the potential of converging compliant mechanisms and mechanical metamaterials.