D. J. Alexander, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
A novel method has been developed for fabricating tailored periodic cellular materials (TPCMs), and thus structures, from slotted strips. The method can be used for metals, metal alloys, or any material that can be produced in the form of strips. With appropriate choices of the strip width and thickness, and the width and spacing of the slots in the strips, the method can produce structures with very fine-scale periodicity (i.e. a microhoneycomb structure) as well as large-scale structures, and can be extended in three dimensions. The individual strips and layers interact with multiple layers of strips above and below each layer, providing stiffness and reinforcement. Since the method can be utilized with any metallic material, these TPCMs can be used, for example, in high-temperature applications, or in corrosive environments, with suitable choice of material. TPCMs can be readily made from high-strength materials, without the need for a high-temperature brazing cycle that would reduce the strength of the material. The local density of the TPCM can be adjusted by changing any or all of the spacing, the scale, and/or the material(s) of the structural units that make up the TPCM. Many materials are readily available in the form of strips, which will greatly reduce the cost. This flexibility and simplicity should create many new applications for slotted-strip TPCMs.
