Cyclic response of 3D printed metamaterials with soft cellular architecture: The interplay between as-built defects, material and geometric non-linearity

3D printing and numerical analysis are combined to design a new class of architected materials that contain bistable beam elements and exhibit controlled trapping of elastic energy. The proposed energy-absorbing structures are reusable. Moreover, the mechanism of energy absorption stems solely from the structural geometry of the printed beam elements, and is therefore both material- and loading-rate independent.