BRI PHASE II - HIERARCHIACAL MUSCULAR SYSTEM FOR TEXTURED MORPHING COMPOSITES
Abstract
Taking inspiration from nature is extremely useful to design morphing materials that can reduce the overall power consumption and improving performance of aerospace vehicles. Reconfigurability and multiscale morphing continue to be the greatest factors in morphing technology, along with challenges such as load-bearing capacity, morph speed and amplitude, and rigidity. In this study, the unique material concept will be able to provide: radical shape changes, independent rigidity modulation, independent load bearing capability, and tunable response speed by taking inspiration from the muscle structure of the heart. The aim is to design a material that will host load-bearing fibers (e.g. carbon fibers) capable of large shape changes via embedded magnetically activate nanoparticles. Texture is formed by an intelligent aggregation of hierarchical and highly stretchable microfiber-based yarns. The material will take advantage of the flexibility of some polymers while employing a “magnetic rigidity”. This rigidity is provided through magnetic nanoparticles embedded in the polymer matrix and a magnetic field. The field magnitude and distance between yarns can tune the load-bearing capability and rigidity. The response speed can be magnetically controlled. Finally, control of the yarn stretching can enable fine-tuning of the internal stresses in the material, thus exploiting “mechanical memory”. Two approaches to the highly stretchable microwires will be: 1) the magnetic nanoparticles will be embedded in a 1D polymer matrix filament; and 2) the nanoparticles will be embedded in local hollow pockets grown along the filament. The first approach is simple to fabricate, but is expected to deliver less responsive fibers due to the difficulty of orienting the magnetic dipoles of the nanoparticles with the field. In the second approach, the nanoparticles are allowed to rotate with the applied field, maximizing the overall actuation capability of the material.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 11, 2021
- Source ID
- FA86552017036
Entities
People
- Giulia Lanzara
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force