Granular metamaterial design for extreme pressure differentials
Abstract
Current atmospheric diving suits (ADS) are bulky and limit a diver s natural mechanics of motion. Ambient pressure diving suits allo,w for much greater diver maneuverability but do not protect the wearer from the physiological problems associated with deep dives. T,herefore, new materials that are flexible but resistant to pressure gradients are needed to develop next-generation atmospheric divi,ng suits. We propose a one-year extension to our prior seed efforts, to continue the development of a novel class of granular metama,terials that can withstand extremely large compressive stresses but are flexible to other applied deformations. Our ADS joint archit,ecture is composed of cubic enclosures (voxels) filled with particles that are circularly arranged to form rings, which can then be,stacked to form flexible 3D cylinders. The governing principle is that the discrete particles in the voxels allow small local change,s in volume (which enables enhanced flexibility) while they maintain the total volume on average (which means that they can resist l,arge compressive loads). In contrast, continuous liquids maintain constant volume at both the local and global scales, which inhibit,s flexibility. This proposed effort will focus on 1) extending our current 2D simulations and experiments to 3D, and 2) evaluating 3,D prototypes in representative contexts. The proposed effort is expected to culminate in 3D flexible ADS joint prototypes.Approved f,or Public Release.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 03, 2022
- Source ID
- N000142212652
Entities
People
- Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Yale University