Toward a Novel Energy-Dissipation Metamaterial with Tensegrity Architecture

The interest in novel energy-dissipation devices that offer advanced functionalities for optimal performance in state-of-the-art engineering applications is growing. In this regard, a highly tunable and innovative dissipator is developed. This dissipator features movement amplification capabilities resulting from the radial replication of a unit-cell with tensegrity architecture. The kinematic response of the dissipator is analyzed for several layouts, by varying the number of unit-cells within the device, their internal geometry, and identifying the corresponding locking configurations. A fully operational 3D-printed prototype is presented, demonstrating its excellent performance in terms of damping capabilities and feasibility. The experimental results are used to validate a numerical model of the flower unit. This model demonstrates the importance of pre-strain on the overall stiffness and dissipative features of the proposed system. By utilizing these numerical models, it is shown that the proposed device can be used as a building block for more complex assemblies such as periodic metamaterials with tensegrity architecture.