Doubly unusual 3D lattice honeycomb displaying simultaneous negative and zero Poisson’s ratio properties

In this paper, a novel three-dimensional (3D) lattice honeycomb is developed based on a two-dimensional (2D) accordion-like honeycomb. A combination of theoretical and numerical analysis is carried out to gain a deeper understanding of the elastic behavior of the new honeycomb and its dependence on the geometric parameters. The results show that the proposed new honeycomb can simultaneously achieve an in-plane negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) effect and an out-of-plane zero Poisson’s ratio (ZPR) effect. This unique property may be very promising in some important fields, like aerospace, piezoelectric sensors and biomedicine engineering. The results also show that the geometric parameters, such as the slant angle, the strut thickness and the relative density, have a significant effect on the mechanical properties. Additionally, different dominant deformation models of the new honeycomb when compressed along the x (or y) and z directions are identified. This work provides a new concept for the design of honeycombs with a doubly unusual performance.