A Classification of Aperiodic Architected Cellular Materials

Architected cellular materials encompass a wide range of design and performance possibilities. While there has been significant interest in periodic cellular materials, recent emphasis has included consideration of aperiodicity, most commonly in studies of stochastic and graded cellular materials. This study proposes a classification scheme for aperiodic cellular materials, by first dividing the design domain into three main types: gradation, perturbation, and hybridization. For each of these types, two design decisions are identified: (i) the feature that is to be modified and (ii) the method of its modification. Considerations such as combining different types of aperiodic design methods, and modulating the degree of aperiodicity are also discussed, along with a review of the literature that places each aperiodic design within the classification developed here, as well as summarizing the performance benefits attributed to aperiodic cellular materials over their periodic counterparts.