The high strain compression of micro- and nano-sized random irregular honeycombs

This paper investigates the effects of cell wall thickness, initial stress/strain, and cell regularity on the high strain compressive responses of micro- and nano-sized low density random irregular honeycombs. The strain gradient effects at the micrometer scale, and the surface elasticity and initial stress effects at the nanometer scale are incorporated into the dominant deformation mechanisms in finite element simulations. It is found that the dimensionless compressive stress strain relation strongly depends on the thickness of the cell walls at the micron scale, and at the nano-meter scale, this relation is not only size-dependent, but are also tunable and controllable over a large range. It is also found that under high strain compression, the Poisson's ratios of micro- and nano-sized low density random irregular honeycombs strongly depend on the cell regularity, but are almost independent of the cell wall thickness and the amplitudes of the initial stress or strain