Can twisted rods store mechanical energy?

Scientists have discovered a new way to store mechanical energy using twisted rods in specially designed metamaterials, delivering massive energy density gains and big potential for robotics and machines. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Can a rod store energy without breaking it?

“At first, we detected a mechanism for storing a high amount of energy in a simple round rod without breaking it or deforming it permanently,” says Gumbsch. “By defining a clever arrangement of the rods, we then integrated this mechanism into a metamaterial.”

Does twisting a rod reduce stress?

But by twisting a rod instead of bending it, the surface experiences more uniform stress, and the volume of low-stress interior material is reduced. Pushing this idea further, the researchers used intense torsion to induce a complex helical buckling pattern, maximizing energy storage while maintaining structural integrity.

How do helical rods work?

By cleverly twisting rods into a helical shape and integrating them into a new metamaterial structure, they’ve overcome traditional design limits, achieving an enthalpy 2 to 160 times higher than existing materials. This breakthrough opens the door to energy-dense components for robotics, shock absorption, and next-generation machines.

Why is energy storage important?

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Can helically deformed rods be used macroscopically under uniaxial loads?

The researchers managed to integrate such torsionally loaded and helically deformed rods into a metamaterial that can be used macroscopically under uniaxial loads. Simulations helped them predict that the metamaterial would have a high stiffness and thus could absorb large forces.