Research on the In‐Plane Energy Absorption Characteristics of Novel Re‐Entrant Chiral Honeycomb Structures

Inspired by existing hybrid designs, this study introduces 10 novel re‐entrant chiral honeycomb (RECH) structures. These structures were generated by integrating conventional re‐entrant and chiral elements, systematically varying unit cell arrangements, and modifying inter‐cell connectors. The effects of these diverse structural configurations on energy absorption characteristics and negative Poisson's ratio were rigorously evaluated through a combination of experimental testing and numerical simulation. Under conditions of equivalent wall thickness, RECH‐III‐1 demonstrated the superior specific energy absorption (SEA), exceeding that of RECH‐II‐2, the structure exhibiting the lowest SEA, by 39.20%. Furthermore, the influence of chiral ring radius on structural crashworthiness was investigated, revealing that the SEA value of RECH‐I‐3 exhibited the greatest sensitivity to variations in radius R; specifically, RECH‐I‐3‐R4 displayed a 22.18% increase compared to RECH‐I‐3‐R1. Gradient designs were also implemented within the proposed structures. RECH‐II‐G2 exhibited comparatively lower energy absorption (EA) and SEA values. Conversely, RECH‐III‐G1 attained the highest EA, while RECH‐I‐G2 achieved the maximum SEA, representing improvements of 60.24% and 46.44%, respectively, relative to RECH‐II‐G2. This research provides a valuable reference for the continued development of re‐entrant chiral structures and their expanded utilization in protective engineering applications.