A novel bio-inspired hierarchical tetrachiral structure that enhances energy absorption capacity

This study proposes a novel hierarchical tetrachiral structure inspired by the shell structure of nautilus animals. The parameters of unit cells were designed in compliance with the dimensions of the universal testing machine and the 3D printer. A model made up of 5x5 unit cells of the novel structure was designed and simulated in SolidWorks and ABAQUS software, respectively. To verify the accuracy of the simulated result, the fused deposition modeling 3D-printing technique was adopted to fabricate both traditional and novel structures with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene material and then the quasi-static compression test was conducted. Additionally, the influence of relative density and strain rate on the performance of the structures also was investigated in this study. The findings showed that the novel structure possesses higher energy absorption than the traditional structure. Furthermore, strain rate and relative density have a significant effect on the performance of the structure. Finally, the proposed novel structure can be used in energy-absorbing, impact-resistant devices.