Rescaling and mesoshear deformations of lattice metamaterials

Experimental results are presented for a lattice metamaterial with a complex mesostructure composed of parallel fibers aligned at different levels. The experimental evidence suggests that the fibers, in addition to their own deformations, such as elongation and bending, and to the relative rotation between two adjacent layers, may also slide relative to each other under certain conditions. This deformation mechanism is taken into account and used as a key hypothesis in the development of a new continuum model. A remarkable rescaling property possessed by the considered metamaterial is also discussed.