Complex Pathways in Serially Coupled Mechanical Hysterons

Interactions can significantly enlarge the space of pathways of hysterons. Here we show that serially coupled mechanical hysterons have antiferromagnetic interactions as a consequence of force balance. This allows for non-trivial pathways with avalanches. We realize all possible pathways of two coupled hysterons experimentally in metamaterials featuringsnapping elements. Systematic numerical simulations show that the pathways are robust and can be rationally designed. Our work introduces a simple yet general strategy for extending the space of achievable pathways in metamaterials.