The present work is devoted to the modelling of strongly size-dependent bending, buckling and vibration phenomena of 2D triangular lattices with the aid of a simplified first strain gradient elasticity continuum theory. As a start, the corresponding generalized Bernoulli-Euler and Timoshenko sandwich beam models are derived. The effective elastic moduli corresponding to the classical theory of elasticity are defined by means of a computational homogenization technique. The two additional length scale parameters involved in the models, in turn, are validated by matching the lattice response in benchmark problems for static bending and free vibrations calibrating the strain energy and inertia gradient parameters, respectively. It is demonstrated as well that the higher-order material parameters do not depend on the problem type, boundary conditions or the specific beam formulation. From the application point of view, it is first shown that the bending rigidity, critical buckling load and eigenfrequencies strongly depend on the lattice microstructure and these dependencies are captured by the generalized Bernoulli-Euler beam model. The relevance of the Timoshenko beam model is then addressed in the context of thick beams and sandwich beams. Applications to auxetic strut lattices demonstrate a significant increase in the stiffness of the metamaterial combined with a clear decrease in mass. Furthermore, with the introduced generalized beam finite elements, essential savings in the computational costs in computational structural analysis can be achieved. For engineering applications of architectured materials or structures with a microstructure utilizing triangular lattices, generalized mechanical properties are finally provided in a form of a design table for a wide range of mass densities.
The fundamental equations for Form II of Mindlin's second strain gradient elasticity theory for isotropic materials are first derived. A corresponding simplified formulation is then proposed, with six and two higher-order material parameters for the strain and kinetic energy, respectively. This simplified model is still capable of accounting for free surface effects and surface tension arising in second strain gradient continua. Within the simplified model, at first, surface tension effects appearing in nano-scale solids near free boundaries are analyzed. Next, a thin strip under tension and shear is considered and closed-form solutions are provided for analyzing the free surface effects. Expressions for effective Poisson's ratio and effective shear modulus are proposed and found to be size-dependent. Most importantly, for each model problem a stability analysis is accomplished disallowing non-physical solutions (befallen but not exclusively disputed in a recent Form I article). Finally, a triangular macro-scale lattice structure of trusses is shown, as a mechanical metamaterial, to behave as a second strain gradient continuum. In particular, it is shown that initial stresses prescribed on boundaries can be associated to one of the higher-order material parameters, modulus of cohesion, giving rise to surface tension. For completeness, a numerical free vibration eigenvalue analysis is accomplished for both a fine-scale lattice model and the corresponding second-order continuum via standard and isogeometric finite element simulations, respectively, completing the calibration procedure for the higher-order material parameters. The eigenvalue analysis confirms the necessity of the second velocity gradient terms in the kinetic energy density.
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