How does the initial cell configuration influence the final topology in a metamaterial generation process?

• Published in: Latin American journal of solids and structures Vol. 21; no. 5
• Main Authors: Guevara-Corzo, Jeffrey, García-Sánchez, Jesús, Quintero-Ramírez, Carolina, Begambre-Carrillo, Oscar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Individual owner 01-01-2024
• Subjects: ENGINEERING, CIVIL; ENGINEERING, MECHANICAL; MECHANICS; topological optimization; numerical homogenization; Mechanical metamaterials; cell configuration
• ISSN: 1679-7817; 1679-7825; 1679-7825
• DOI: 10.1590/1679-78257904

Abstract This research aims to evaluate the impact of the initial cell configuration and the limit volume fraction on the generation of mechanical metamaterial cells. The procedure was developed using a methodology based on preprocessing, processing, and post processing to facilitate fast exploration of metamaterial cell space design. The initial cell consisted of a square or cube of material with a central circular or spherical void diameters of 10 mm, 20 mm, and 30 mm. Additionally, the generation process employed three volume fractions limits (30%, 40%, and 50%) and eleven objective functions. These functions intended to generate cells that maximize stiffness in one or multiple directions and cells with maximum compressibility or shear modulus. Some of the obtained cells with tailored mechanical properties exhibit novel geometrical configurations. The results highlight volume fraction as the most significant factor in the generation process, with well-defined metamaterial cells produced using an initial volume fraction of 50% and low to medium void diameters.