Design of a programmable particle filtering medium using a novel auxetic metamaterial

This study presents the design and development of a 2D auxetic filtering medium with programmable geometric features specifically designed to vary under in-plane tensile strain. This feature empowers the filtering medium to control the particles separation. A novel design and optimisation algorithm developed in Matlab (R) determines the final optimized geometry of the filtering medium based on the desired particle size input. Upon thorough numerical investigation, an empirical relationship between the linear elastic in-plane tensile strain and aperture size of the proposed metamaterial is revealed. This empirical relation can be used in mechatronic and control systems to steer the proposed filtering medium. A prototype of such filtering medium capable of classification of particles of size 4 mm to 4.5 mm, when subjected to linear strain, is fabricated through fused deposition modelling process. The developed geometry configurations in this research are scalable, providing a potential cost-effective and efficient solution for industrial applications including reconfigurable filtration and segregation systems.

Automated summary

This study presents the design and development of a 2D auxetic filtering medium with programmable geometric features that can vary under in-plane tensile strain. The filtering medium has the ability to control particle separation. An algorithm developed in Matlab (R) determines the optimized geometry of the filtering medium based on desired particle size. An empirical relationship between in-plane tensile strain and aperture size is revealed, which can be used in mechatronic and control systems to steer the filtering medium. A prototype capable of classifying particles of specific sizes is fabricated using fused deposition modelling process. The scalable geometry configurations provide a cost-effective and efficient solution for industrial applications.