TOPOLOGICALLY OPTIMISED METAMATERIALS FOR FRACTURE CONTROL

Fracture paths are very difficult to control, apart from idealised cases. Here we design metamaterials from building blocks that are topologically optimised to have a very strong anisotropy in the energy release rate : they break more easily in a direction than another. We 3D print, and tile periodically this building block to create materials that exhibit controlled crack path when broken under tensile stress. With this we create crack paths unachievable in homogeneous materials, which opens promising routes for material design and for new strategies for shock absorption.