Programmable mechanical metamaterials – Presented by Matthew Berwind, Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials at the 3rd edition of 4D Printing & Meta Materials Conference, which takes place on 18 April 2018 at Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Sittard-Geleen, The Netherlands.
The fundamental problem of how structure scales and size-dependently impacts materials has occupied humanity for centuries. Modern manufacturing techniques now allow us to investigate this basic question with incredible freedom, and rational design approaches to the structuring of materials have led to metamaterials with unique physical properties. A scale-bridging understanding of how structure defines such a metamaterial independent of its base composition is necessary for this rational design process to be successful. Herein we examine metamaterials with a view spanning their internal ‘mechanisms’, the unit cell, its connectors, and finally the resultant matrix with its hierarchically subordinate components. Some recent efforts in the development of programmable mechanical metamaterials, or designed materials that respond to external stimuli in a discrete and ideally reversible fashion, will be presented that rely on a clear understanding of rational hierarchical design approaches. Continue reading “Programmable mechanical metamaterials – Presented by Matthew Berwind, Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials”
