Designing materials and structures with high energy absorption and self-recoverability remains a challenge for reusable energy absorption, particularly in aerospace engineering applications (i.e., planetary landers). While the prevalent design methods of reusable energy absorbers mainly use the mechanical instability of tilted and curved beams, the limited energy absorption capabilities and low strength of tilted or curved beams limit performance improvement. In nature, Phlorodes diabolicus has evolved extreme impact resistance, in which the suture interface structure plays a key role. Herein, we propose a convex interface slide design strategy for reusability and energy absorption through friction interface, geometry, and bending elasticity, inspired by the elytra of Phlorodes diabolicus. Convex interfaces slide to achieve a more than 270% higher energy absorption capacity per unit volume than the curved beams. The convex interface slide design can be easily integrated with other structures to achieve multiple functions, such as various shapes and self-recoverability. Furthermore, we developed a theoretical model to predict the mechanical behavior and energy absorption performance. Our strategy opens up a new design space for creating reusable energy-absorbing structures.
Keywords: architected structures; energy absorption; friction interface; reusable planetary lander; self-recoverable.