Out-of-plane deformation reduction via inelastic hinges in fibrous metamaterials and simplified damage approach

The mechanical behavior of fibrous metamaterials is mainly determined by the interactions between the fibers composing the architecture. These interactions are usually of two different kinds: those directly depending on the positions of the fibers and those that need mediators, usually consisting of hinges, either inelastic or perfect, inducing restrictions on the kinematics of the fiber joints. In cases of interest, it has been observed that hinges can either have a certain torsional stiffness or behave as perfect joints, simply ensuring that the fibers remain interconnected, but not applying any constraint on the relative rotations between them. Here the effect of torsional stiffness of inelastic hinges is studied in two shear tests for a selected fibrous metamaterial. It is shown that the stiffness of hinges can be tailored to avoid, or at least reduce, out-of-plane deformations. Moreover, it is shown that, after reaching a threshold, permanent deformations are observed. This phenomenon is treated in a simplified way, by introducing damage in the continuum model.