Numerical Analysis of Recoverable Negative Stiffness Smart Structures for Energy Absorption in Shock Isolation

The recently developed Negative Stiffness Honeycomb (NSH) structures have drawn tremendous interest in the field of energy absorption and shock isolation. The smart NSH structures have the advantage of being reused multiple times, where the conventional energy absorption techniques involve permanent deformation of the material via linear or nonlinear buckling or failure mode to absorb energy. In this study, the force-displacement characteristics of NSH structure with different materials has been investigated using Finite Element Method Based Software. A comprehensive investigation was undertaken to analyze the performance of the structure as energy absorbers in displacement-controlled loading conditions. From the obtained results it was observed that the NSH structure shows good energy absorption without crushing. The energy absorption characteristics were analyzed for different flexible materials commonly used in additive manufacturing. Since the structure is recoverable after each unloading, with required specific energy absorption, these structures can be used for shock isolation in sensitive structures such as small containers, packaging, small shock absorbers etc.