University of Glasgow

Oct 25, 2025

Share The new material could find applications in both automotive and aerospace safety in the future. (Representational image) SResearchers have developed a new form of 3D-printed twisting metamaterial that could offer improved crash protection for vehicles. The material has a unique lattice shape that allows it to twist into itself to effectively protect against a range of impact types and severities. Developed by researchers from universities in Scotland and Italy, the material’s response to blows can be mechanically controlled, thereby altering its energy absorption. The research team highlighted that the material can be fine-tuned to provide stiffer resistance to heavy collisions or softer cushioning for lighter impacts. Adaptive twisting metamaterials “This study introduces adaptive twisting metamaterials as a new class of metamaterials that don’t require any complex electronics or hydraulics to adapt. Instead, they can adapt simply through mechanical control of rotation,” said Professor Shanmugam Kumar of the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering. “When we apply compression, the gyroid lattice translates it into twist, and by changing the boundary conditions, we can tune the energy absorption characteristics. These materials can adapt and change their own characteristics depending on the impact type and severity to mitigate effects.” The research team believes that the material could find applications in both automotive and aerospace safety in the future, providing a single new class of material capable of adapting to different needs as required. It could also support the development of novel forms of energy harvesting, by converting impacts into rotational kinetic energy. Subclass of architected lattices The protective materials used in most vehicles today are static, designed for specific impact scenarios and unable to adapt to varying conditions. The materials are made from steel using additive manufacturing, a process better known as 3D printing. The process gives the team fine-grained control over the material’s architecture, allowing them to weave a complex, highly porous shape known as a gyroid lattice throughout it, according to a press release. Published in Advanced Materials, the research’s twisting metamaterials are a subclass of architected lattices whose mechanics are captured by micropolar elasticity. Derived from twisting operations on primitive lattices, these structures exhibit geometry-induced torsional actuation and nonlinear responses, enabling adaptive crashworthiness, as per the study. Multiscale predictive framework “A multiscale predictive framework—combining Cosserat continuum mechanics, finite element modeling, and experiments—demonstrates its viability. Twisting sheet-based gyroid structures (10% relative density) are additively manufactured in FE7131 steel and tested under quasi-static and dynamic compression with varied torsional constraints, revealing adaptive energy absorptionm,” said researchers in the study. The research team pointed out that mapping the material’s performance onto an Ashby chart highlights twisting metamaterials as a promising class of mechanically adaptive, crashworthy materials for advanced protection systems in automotive, rail, aerospace, and defence applications. Researchers stressed that when the material is compressed by an external force, it twists in a corkscrew-like motion, absorbing the impact energy. In laboratory experiments, the team tested three versions of the material to assess their response to two types of loading: rapid impacts and slower, steadily increasing strains. When the metamaterial was constrained from twisting at all in response to impacts, it provided maximum stiffness and absorbed the most energy – 15.36 joules of energy per gram of the material, according to the study. The research team underlined that their real-world tests are supported by a comprehensive theoretical and computational model which can accurately predict the complex behaviour of twisting gyroid lattices under different strain rates. For accurate numerical–experimental alignment, geometric imperfections introduced during additive manufacturing were quantified by integrating micro-CT reconstructions of the printed lattices, as per the press release. RECOMMENDED ARTICLES ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prabhat Ranjan Mishra Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI. NEWSLETTER