Unlike conventional composites, which typically fail catastrophically, RCCM fail incrementally because of the non-linear deformation phase and the multiplicity of joints and links. These results matched finite-element simulations with finely-meshed rigid body models. In addition to convergence to the observed coordinated buckling mode, these simulations accurately predict the relative strength scaling observed in load test experiments. These results are consistent with the observation that open-cell lattice materials fail through micro-structural strut bending failures with σmax ∝. The simulations also suggest that the coordinated buckling phenomenon as well as the modulus measurements are not dominated by edge effects, with minimal influence on overall results beyond characteristic lengths exceeding several units.
Varying the locations of more and less rigid elements can trigger pure axial compression, simple uni-directional Euler buckling and complex buckling.