Scaling of the Elastic Behavior of Two-Dimensional Topologically Interlocked Materials Under Transverse Loading

Topologically interlocked materials (TIMs) are a class of 2D mechanical crystals made by a structured assembly of an array of polyhedral elements. The monolayer assembly can resist transverse forces in the absence of adhesive interaction between the unit elements. The mechanical properties of the system emerge as a combination of deformation of the individual unit elements and their contact interaction. The present study presents scaling laws relating the mechanical stiffness of monolayered TIMs to the system characteristic dimensions. The concept of thrust line analysis is employed to obtain the scaling laws, and model predictions are validated using finite element simulations as virtual experiments. Scaling law powers were found to closely resemble those of classical plate theory despite the distinctly different underlying mechanics and theory of TIM deformation.