Chiral hexagonal cellular sandwich structures: dynamic response

Periodic cellular configurations with negative Poisson's ratio have attracted the attention of several researchers because of their superior dynamic characteristics. Among the geometries featuring a negative Poisson's ratio, the chiral topology possesses a geometric complexity that guarantees unique deformed configurations when excited at one of its natural frequencies. Specifically, localized deformations have been observed even at relatively low excitation frequencies. This is of particular importance as resonance can be exploited to minimize the power required for the appearance of localized deformations, thus giving practicality to the concept. The particular nature of these deformed configurations and the authority provided by the chiral geometry, suggest the application of the proposed structural configuration for the design of innovative lifting bodies, such as helicopter rotor blades or airplane wings. The dynamic characteristics of chiral structures are here investigated through a numerical model and experimental investigations. The numerical formulation uses dynamic shape functions to accurately describe the behavior of the considered structural assembly over a wide frequency range. The model is used to predict frequency response functions, and to investigate the occurrence of localized deformations. Experimental tests are also performed to demonstrate the accuracy of the model and to illustrate the peculiarities of the behavior of the considered chiral structures.