Anisotropic plates with architected tendon network

Abstract

We synthesize geometrically tailorable anisotropic plates by combining button shaped fish-scale like features on soft substrates, then lacing them with high-stiffness strings. This creates a new type of biomimetic architectured structure with multiple broken symmetries. First, the tendons and substrate together break the symmetry of the bending response between the concave and convex curvature. Next, the weave pattern of the tendons further breaks symmetry along the two directors of plates. The anisotropy is clearly evident in 3-point bending experiments. Motivated by these experiments and the need for design, we formulate an analytical energy-based model to quantify the anisotropic elasticity. The derived architecture-property relationships can be used to design architected tendon plates with desirable properties.

Keywords: Anisotropy; Bending rigidity; Finite element (FE) modeling; Metamaterials.