Real-time reversible tunable elasticity in cellular solids via electromagnetic actuation

The ability for reversible, real-time control of elastic moduli in solids can find significant application in advanced mechanical components, protective structures, and biomedical devices. Here, we propose a novel concept for controlling the linear and nonlinear elastic properties of cellular structures via electromagnetically triggered mechanisms in the cellular solid. Three structural systems with orthotropic material properties were proposed and studied numerically, experimentally, and analytically. Using the proposed concept, the elastic modulus can be controlled over two to four orders of magnitude. The Poisson ratio of the isotropic structure can be varied from 0 to 0.5 continuously. The adjustments over nonlinear elastic (i.e., buckling) behavior of the structure are achieved by activation of supplementary cell walls in the lattice through electromagnetic actuation. Magnetic actuation will hamper the first symmetrical buckling pattern of the structure and force the structure to buckle according to a higher buckling pattern with smaller sinusoidal wavelength in the cell walls. The uniaxial buckling strength of the structure was tuned over two orders of magnitude