Novel honeycombs with auxetic behaviour

Materials with a negative Poisson's ratio have been modelled largely by regular 2D networks. These models represent the conceptual features of the microscale of materials with a negative Poisson's ratio. To date they do not reflect the detail or exact structure of any known auxetic material. In this paper, 2D materials have been constructed whose microstructure is represented exactly by the auxetic models. These materials are subjected to an axial strain and the measured Poisson's ratio is compared to the predictions by the models. The models are also amended to fit better the observed deformation within the 2D materials. The models are found to predict some behaviour reasonably well but only when model parameters are measured from the experimental data. (c) 2005 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.