Gear-Based Topological Mechanical Metamaterials

Overview

The ability to engineer metamaterials with properties and functionalities not found in nature is a revolutionary concept with exciting technological applications. Mechanical metamaterials use mechanisms as fundamental building blocks to achieve novel behaviors. In recent years, topology has transformed our understanding of physics, ranging from electronics to photonics. This project combines these two lines of development to address the natural question of whether the ideas of topology extend to mechanical metamaterials. In this project, I study geared mechanical metamaterials. The addition of new rotational degrees of freedom expands the basic elements available for designing new materials, potentially giving rise to new phenomena. I investigate metamaterials based on the Martini and Hexachiral lattices. First, I explore diverse methodologies for constructing physical prototypes. Subsequently, I conduct a series of experiments to analyze the behavior of these prototypes under various types of deformations. I determine the presence of localized edge zero modes, a key characteristic of topological materials, and investigate how rotational degrees of freedom affect the global stability of the materials. Finally, I calculate the compatibility matrices for the metamaterials based on the Martini and Hexachiral lattices and perform a computational study of the effects of varying lattice geometries. My computations reveal the specific geometries at which topological phase transitions occur.

Competition history

• AJAS 2025 Category not listed

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