Compression property and energy absorption capacity of 4D-printed deformable honeycomb structure

Honeycomb structures exhibit outstanding mechanical properties with specific unit cell configurations. We introduce a novel honeycomb structure that can enhance the compression property and energy absorption capacity by utilizing four-dimensional (4D) printing technology with polylactic acid (PLA) materials. In the designed honeycomb structure, the walls of the adjacent unit cells are independent, and the shape of the unit cells can be transformed between a hexagon and triangle under external loading and temperature stimulus. 4D printing technology is employed to prepare the honeycomb specimens, and the deformation processes of the innovative honeycombs are implemented. Structure I (a novel hexagonal honeycomb structure) and Structure II (a semi-triangular honeycomb structure) can be transformed into each other. Uniaxial quasi-static compression and impact tests are conducted to investigate the compression property and energy absorption capacity of the designed honeycomb structures. The results indicate that the novel honeycomb had a high compression property with Structure II, and had high energy absorption capacity with Structure I; thus, the developed honeycomb structures have broad application prospects for the multifunctional applications of honeycomb structures in the future.