Cycle deformation behavior of 3D‐printed CF/PEEK honeycomb metamaterials with zero Poisson's ratios

Abstract To realize the one‐dimensional deformation of morphing wings, zero Poisson's ratio (ZPR) honeycomb metamaterials have become a popular research topic due to their lightweight, low in‐plane modulus, and high out‐of‐plane strength. A ZPR honeycomb metamaterial is designed and prepared from short‐cut carbon fiber‐reinforced polyetheretherketone (CF/PEEK) by a 3D printer. The mechanical properties of ZPR honeycomb metamaterials were tested to determine their tensile and bending stiffness. The results show that the metamaterial can achieve 62.3% ± 3.3% in‐plane elastic deformation after optimized structure design. At the same time, metamaterial has a certain bending resistance to keep the airfoil from normal buckling deformation. Moreover, a new test method for evaluating the cycle deformation behavior of flexible morphing wings is proposed. The high‐speed cyclic tension‐compression test showed that H22‐t0.6‐CT has the best stability, which may be related to its lower porosity (2.15% ± 0.12%). These results indicate that ZPR honeycomb metamaterials have great application prospects in the field of morphing wings. Highlights The printed CF/PEEK wire is treated as a transversely isotropic material. ZPR honeycomb metamaterial allows for more than 50% in‐plane deformation. A new test method to evaluate the cyclic deformation behavior.