Kenneth Cheung

Reversibly Assembled Cellular Composite Materials

Quality Ultralight Ensuring the light-weight and high-strength properties of carbon-fiber composite materials is costly. Cheung and Gershenfeld (p. 1219, published online 15 August; see the Perspective by Schaedler et al.) have mass-produced cross-sectional parts that can be assembled into strong, ultralight lattices. Carbon-fiber composites are sliced into cross-shaped pieces that can be independently tested and reliably assembled into rigid and reversible cuboctahedral lattices. Reversible assembly of mass-produced composite-material parts created a stiff, ultralight structure. [Also see Perspective by Schaedler et al.] We introduce composite materials made by reversibly assembling a three-dimensional lattice of mass-produced carbon fiber–reinforced polymer composite parts with integrated mechanical interlocking connections. The resulting cellular composite materials can respond as an elastic solid with an extremely large measured modulus for an ultralight material (12.3 megapascals at a density of 7.2 milligrams per cubic centimeter). These materials offer a hierarchical decomposition in modeling, with bulk properties that can be predicted from component measurements and deformation modes that can be determined by the placement of part types. Because site locations are locally constrained, structures can be produced in a relative assembly process that merges desirable features of fiber composites, cellular materials, and additive manufacturing.

Programmable Assembly With Universally Foldable Strings (Moteins)

Understanding how linear strings fold into 2-D and 3-D shapes has been a long sought goal in many fields of both academia and industry. This paper presents a technique to design self-assembling and self-reconfigurable systems that are composed of strings of very simple robotic modules. We show that physical strings that are composed of a small set of discrete polygonal or polyhedral modules can be used to programmatically generate any continuous area or volumetric shape. These modules can have one or two degrees of freedom (DOFs) and simple actuators with only two or three states. We describe a subdivision algorithm to produce universal polygonal and polyhedral string folding schemas, and we prove the existence of a continuous motion to reach any such folding. This technique is validated with dynamics simulations as well as experiments with chains of modules that pack on a regular cubic lattice. We call robotic programmable universally foldable strings “moteins” as motorized proteins.

Origami interleaved tube cellular materials

A novel origami cellular material based on a deployable cellular origami structure is described. The structure is bi-directionally flat-foldable in two orthogonal (x and y) directions and is relatively stiff in the third orthogonal (z) direction. While such mechanical orthotropicity is well known in cellular materials with extruded two dimensional geometry, the interleaved tube geometry presented here consists of two orthogonal axes of interleaved tubes with high interfacial surface area and relative volume that changes with fold-state. In addition, the foldability still allows for fabrication by a flat lamination process, similar to methods used for conventional expanded two dimensional cellular materials. This article presents the geometric characteristics of the structure together with corresponding kinematic and mechanical modeling, explaining the orthotropic elastic behavior of the structure with classical dimensional scaling analysis.

The Milli-Motein: A self-folding chain of programmable matter with a one centimeter module pitch

The Milli-Motein (Millimeter-Scale Motorized Protein) is ca chain of programmable matter with a 1 cm pitch. It can fold itself into digitized approximations of arbitrary three-dimensional shapes. The small size of the Milli-Motein segments is enabled by the use of our new electropermanent wobble stepper motors, described in this paper, and by a highly integrated electronic and mechanical design. The chain is an interlocked series of connected motor rotors and stators, wrapped with a continuous flex circuit to provide communications, control, and power transmission capabilities. The Milli-Motein uses off-the-shelf electronic components and fasteners, and custom parts fabricated by conventional and electric discharge machining, assembled with screws, glue, and solder using tweezers under a microscope. We perform shape reconfiguration experiments using a four-segment Milli-Motein. It can switch from a straight line to a prescribed shape in 5 seconds, consuming 2.6 W power during reconfiguration. It can hold its shape indefinitely without power. During reconfiguration, a segment can lift the weight of one but not two segments as a horizontal cantilever.

BILL-E: Robotic Platform for Locomotion and Manipulation of Lightweight Space Structures

We describe a robotic platform for traversing and manipulating a modular 3D lattice structure. The robot is designed to operate within a specifically structured environment, which enables low numbers of degrees of freedom (DOF) compared to robots performing comparable tasks in an unstructured environment. This allows for simple controls, as well as low mass and cost. This approach, designing the robot relative to the local environment in which it operates, results in a type of robot we call a “relative robot.” We describe a bipedal robot that can locomote across a periodic lattice structure, as well as being able to handle, manipulate, and transport building block parts that compose the lattice structure. Based on a general inchworm design, the robot has added functionality for travelling over and operating on a host structure.

Robotically assembled aerospace structures: Digital material assembly using a gantry-type assembler

This paper evaluates the development of automated assembly techniques for discrete lattice structures using a multi-axis gantry type CNC machine. These lattices are made of discrete components and are referred to as “digital materials.” We present the development of a specialized end effector that works in conjunction with the CNC machine to assemble these lattices. With this configuration we are able to place voxels at a rate of 1.5 per minute. The scalability of digital material structures due to the incremental modular assembly is one of its key traits and an important metric of interest. We investigate the build times of a 5×5 beam structure on the scale of 1 meter (325 parts), 10 meters (3,250 parts), and 30 meters (9,750 parts). Utilizing the current configuration with a single end effector, performing serial assembly with a globally fixed feed station at the edge of the build volume, the build time increases according to a scaling law of n4, where n is the build scale. Build times can be reduced significantly by integrating feed systems into the gantry itself, resulting in a scaling law of n3. A completely serial assembly process will encounter time limitations as build scale increases. Automated assembly for digital materials can assemble high performance structures from discrete parts, and techniques such as built in feed systems, parallelization, and optimization of the fastening process will yield much higher throughput.

Development of Mission Adaptive Digital Composite Aerostructure Technologies (MADCAT)

This paper reviews the development of the Mission Adaptive Digital Composite Aerostructures Technologies (MADCAT) v0 demonstrator aircraft, utilizing a novel aerostructure concept that combines advanced composite materials manufacturing and fabrication technologies with a discrete construction approach to achieve high stiffness-todensity ratio ultra-light aerostructures that provide versatility and adaptability. This revolutionary aerostructure concept has the potential to change how future air vehicles are designed, built, and flown, with dramatic reductions in weight and manufacturing complexity – the number of types of structural components needed to build air vehicles – while enabling new mission objectives. We utilize the innovative digital composite materials and discrete construction technologies to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed aerostructure concept, by building and testing a scaled prototype UAV, MADCAT v0. This paper presents an overview of the design and development of the MADCAT v0 flight demonstrator.

Application of Transfer Matrix Approach to Modeling and Decentralized Control of Lattice-Based Structures

This paper presents a modeling and control of aerostructure developed by lattice-based cellular materials/components. The proposed aerostructure concept leverages a building block strategy for lattice-based components which provide great adaptability to varying ight scenarios, the needs of which are essential for in- ight wing shaping control. A decentralized structural control design is proposed that utilizes discrete-time lumped mass transfer matrix method (DT-LM-TMM). The objective is to develop an e ective reduced order model through DT-LM-TMM that can be used to design a decentralized controller for the structural control of a wing. The proposed approach developed in this paper shows that, as far as the performance of overall structural system is concerned, the reduced order model can be as e ective as the full order model in designing an optimal stabilizing controller.

Design of multifunctional hierarchical space structures

We describe a system for the design of space structures with tunable structural properties based on the discrete assembly of modular lattice elements. These lattice elements can be constructed into larger beam-like elements, which can then be assembled into large scale truss structures. These discrete lattice elements are reversibly assembled with mechanical fasteners, which allows them to be arbitrarily reconfigured into various application-specific designs. In order to assess the validity of this approach, we design two space structures with similar geometry but widely different structural requirements: an aerobrake, driven by strength requirements, and a precision segmented reflector, driven by stiffness and accuracy requirements. We will show agreement between simplified numerical models based on hierarchical assembly and analytical solutions. We will also present an assessment of the error budget resulting from the assembly of discrete structures. Lastly, we will address launch vehicle packing efficiency issues for transporting these structures to lower earth orbit.

Digital cellular solid pressure vessels: A novel approach for human habitation in space

It is widely assumed that human exploration beyond Earths orbit will require vehicles capable of providing long-duration habitats that simulate an Earthlike environment — consistent artificial gravity, breathable atmosphere, and sufficient living space-while requiring the minimum possible launch mass. This paper examines how the qualities of digital cellular solids — high-performance, repairability, reconfigurability, tunable mechanical response — allow the accomplishment of long-duration habitat objectives at a fraction of the mass required for traditional structural technologies. To illustrate the impact digital cellular solids could make as a replacement to conventional habitat subsystems, we compare recent proposed deep space habitat structural systems with a digital cellular solids pressure vessel design that consists of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) digital cellular solid cylindrical framework that is lined with an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) skin. We use the analytical treatment of a linear specific modulus scaling cellular solid to find the minimum mass pressure vessel for a structure and find that, for equivalent habitable volume and appropriate safety factors, the use of digital cellular solids provides clear methods for producing structures that are not only repairable and reconfig-urable, but also higher performance than their conventionally-manufactured counterparts.