Suyi Li

Variable Stiffness Structures Utilizing Fluidic Flexible Matrix Composites

In this research, the capability of utilizing fluidic flexible matrix composites (F2MC) for autonomous structural tailoring is investigated. By taking advantage of the high anisotropy of flexible matrix composite (FMC) tubes and the high bulk modulus of the pressurizing fluid, significant changes in the effective modulus of elasticity can be achieved by controlling the inlet valve to the fluid-filled F2MC structure. The variable modulus F2MC structure has the flexibility to easily deform when desired (open-valve), possesses the high modulus required during loading conditions when deformation is not desired (closed-valve — locked state), and has the adaptability to vary the modulus between the flexible/stiff states through control of the valve. In the current study, a 3D analytical model is developed to characterize the axial stiffness behavior of a single F 2MC tube. Experiments are conducted to validate the proposed model, and the test results show good agreement with the model predictions. A closed/open modulus ratio as high as 56 times is achieved experimentally. With the validated model, an F2MC design space study is performed. It is found that by tailoring the properties of the FMC tube and inner liner, a wide range of moduli and modulus ratios can be attained. By embedding multiple F 2MC tubes side by side in a soft matrix, a multi-cellular F2MC sheet with a variable stiffness in one direction is constructed. The stiffness ratio of the multi-cellular F2MC sheet obtained experimentally shows good agreement with a model developed for this type of structure. A case study has been conducted to investigate the behavior of laminated [+60/0/-60] s multi-cellular F2MC sheets. It is shown that the laminate can achieve tunable, steerable, anisotropy by selective valve control.

Fluidic origami with embedded pressure dependent multi-stability: a plant inspired innovation.

Inspired by the impulsive movements in plants, this research investigates the physics of a novel fluidic origami concept for its pressure-dependent multi-stability. In this innovation, fluid-filled tubular cells are synthesized by integrating different Miura-Ori sheets into a three-dimensional topological system, where the internal pressures are strategically controlled similar to the motor cells in plants. Fluidic origami incorporates two crucial physiological features observed in nature: one is distributed, pressurized cellular organization, and the other is embedded multi-stability. For a single fluidic origami cell, two stable folding configurations can coexist due to the nonlinear relationships among folding, crease material deformation and internal volume change. When multiple origami cells are integrated, additional multi-stability characteristics could occur via the interactions between pressurized cells. Changes in the fluid pressure can tailor the existence and shapes of these stable folding configurations. As a result, fluidic origami can switch between being mono-stable, bistable and multi-stable with pressure control, and provide a rapid ‘snap-through’ type of shape change based on the similar principles as in plants. The outcomes of this research could lead to the development of new adaptive materials or structures, and provide insights for future plant physiology studies at the cellular level.

Fluidic flexible matrix composites for autonomous structural tailoring

In this research, the capability of utilizing fluidic flexible matrix composites (F2MC) for autonomous structural tailoring is investigated. By taking advantages of the high anisotropy of flexible matrix composite (FMC) tubes and the high bulk modulus of the pressurizing fluid, significant changes in the effective modulus of elasticity can be achieved by controlling the inlet valve to the fluid filled F2MC structure. The variable modulus F2MC structure has the flexibility to easily deform when desired (open valve), possesses the high modulus required during loading conditions when deformation is not desired (closed valve - locked state), and has the adaptability to vary the modulus between the flexible/stiff states through control of the valve. In the current study, a closed-form, 3-dimensional, analytical model is developed to model the behavior of a single F2MC tube structure. Experiments are conducted to validate the proposed model. The test results show good agreement with the model predictions. A closed/open modulus ratio as high as 56 times is achieved experimentally thus far. With the validated model, an F2MC design space study is performed. It is found by tailoring the properties of the FMC tube and inner liner, a wide range of modulus and modulus ratios can be attained.

Fluidic origami: a plant-inspired adaptive structure with shape morphing and stiffness tuning

Inspired by the physics behind the rapid plant movements and the rich topologies in origami folding, this research creates a unique class of multi-functional adaptive structure through exploring the innovation of fluidic origami. The idea is to connect multiple Miura folded sheets along their crease lines into a space-filling structure, and fill the tubular cells in-between with working fluids. The pressure and fluid flow in these cells can be strategically controlled much like in plants for nastic movements. The relationship between the internal fluid volume and the overall structure deformation is primarily determined by the kinematics of folding. This relationship can be exploited so that fluidic origami can achieve actuation/morphing by actively changing the internal fluid volume, and stiffness tuning by constraining the fluid volume. In order to characterize the working principles and performance potentials of these two adaptive functions, this research develops an equivalent truss frame model on a fluidic origami unit cell to analyze its fundamental elastic characteristics. Eigen-stiffness analysis based on this model reveals the primary modes of deformation and their relationships with initial folding configurations. Performances of the adaptive functions are correlated to the crease pattern design. In parallel to analytical studies, the feasibility of the morphing and stiffness tuning is also examined experimentally via a 3D printed multi-material prototype demonstrator. The research reported in this paper could lead to the synthesis of adaptive fluidic origami cellular metastructures or metamaterial systems for various engineering applications.

Osmosis-Based Pressure Generation: Dynamics and Application

This paper describes osmotically-driven pressure generation in a membrane-bound compartment while taking into account volume expansion, solute dilution, surface area to volume ratio, membrane hydraulic permeability, and changes in osmotic gradient, bulk modulus, and degree of membrane fouling. The emphasis lies on the dynamics of pressure generation; these dynamics have not previously been described in detail. Experimental results are compared to and supported by numerical simulations, which we make accessible as an open source tool. This approach reveals unintuitive results about the quantitative dependence of the speed of pressure generation on the relevant and interdependent parameters that will be encountered in most osmotically-driven pressure generators. For instance, restricting the volume expansion of a compartment allows it to generate its first 5 kPa of pressure seven times faster than without a restraint. In addition, this dynamics study shows that plants are near-ideal osmotic pressure generators, as they are composed of many small compartments with large surface area to volume ratios and strong cell wall reinforcements. Finally, we demonstrate two applications of an osmosis-based pressure generator: actuation of a soft robot and continuous volume delivery over long periods of time. Both applications do not need an external power source but rather take advantage of the energy released upon watering the pressure generators.

On the dynamic characteristics of biological inspired multicellular fluidic flexible matrix composite structures

The objective of this research is to explore the dynamic characteristics of a multicellular fluidic flexible matrix composite (F2MC) structure. F2MC is a novel composite idea inspired by the fibrillar organizations of plant cell walls. Previous work on F2MC has mostly focused on single cell studies and on its static or quasi-static characteristics. The F2MC dynamic characteristics with interaction between cells through a flow circuit have not yet been investigated. When under external load, a network of F2MC cells with different fiber angles will generate pressure gradient and induce internal fluid flows. Therefore, the working fluids and flow port can be selected/designed for new types of functionality. An analytical model, incorporating the flow port characteristics with the cell structural dynamics, is developed and analyzed. Experimental investigations are also performed. It is shown that a dual F2MC cellular structure can be used as a vibration absorber and as an enhanced actuator with higher actuation authority compared to a single F2MC cell in a designated frequency band. These features are studied in correlation to the various system parameters, such as the fiber composite parameters, flow port parameters, and working fluid effective bulk modulus.

Recoverable and Programmable Collapse from Folding Pressurized Origami Cellular Solids.

We report a unique collapse mechanism by exploiting the negative stiffness observed in the folding of an origami solid, which consists of pressurized cells made by stacking origami sheets. Such a collapse mechanism is recoverable, since it only involves rigid folding of the origami sheets and it is programmable by pressure control and the custom design of the crease pattern. The collapse mechanism features many attractive characteristics for applications such as energy absorption. The reported results also suggest a new branch of origami study focused on its nonlinear mechanics associated with folding.

A variable transverse stiffness sandwich structure using fluidic flexible matrix composites (F2MC)

Presented in this paper is the development of a novel honeycomb sandwich panel with variable transverse stiffness. In this structure, the traditional sandwich face sheets are replaced by the fluidic flexible matrix composite (F2MC) tube layers developed in recent studies. The F2MC layers, combined with the anisotropic honeycomb core material properties, provide a new sandwich structure with variable stiffness properties for transverse loading. In this research, an analytical model is derived based on Lekhitskiis anisotropic pressurized tube solution and Timoshenko beam theory. Experimental investigations are also conducted to verify the analytical findings. A segmented multiple-F2MC-tube configuration is synthesized to increase the variable stiffness range. The analysis shows that the new honeycomb sandwich structure using F2MC tubes of 10 segments can provide a high/low transverse stiffness ratio of 60. Segmentation and stiffness control can be realized by an embedded valve network, granting a fast response time.

Plant-inspired adaptive structures and materials for morphing and actuation: A review

Plants exhibit a variety of reversible motions, from the slow opening of pine cones to the impulsive closing of Venus flytrap leaves. These motions are achieved without muscles and they have inspired a wide spectrum of engineered materials and structures. This review summarizes the recent developments of plant-inspired adaptive structures and materials for morphing and actuation. We begin with a brief overview of the actuation strategies and physiological features associated to these plant movements, showing that different combinations of these strategies and features can lead to motions with different deformation characteristics and response speeds. Then we offer a comprehensive survey of the plant-inspired morphing and actuation systems, including pressurized cellular structures, osmotic actuation, anisotropic hygroscopic materials, and bistable systems for rapid movements. Although these engineered systems are vastly different in terms of their size scales and intended applications, their working principles are all related to the actuation strategies and physiological features in plants. This review is to promote future cross-disciplinary studies between plant biology and engineering, which can foster new solutions for many applications such as morphing airframes, soft robotics and kinetic architectures.

Dynamics of a bistable Miura-origami structure

Origami-inspired structures and materials have shown extraordinary properties and performances originating from the intricate geometries of folding. However, current state of the art studies have mostly focused on static and quasistatic characteristics. This research performs a comprehensive experimental and analytical study on the dynamics of origami folding through investigating a stacked Miura-Ori (SMO) structure with intrinsic bistability. We fabricate and experimentally investigated a bistable SMO prototype with rigid facets and flexible crease lines. Under harmonic base excitation, the SMO exhibits both intrawell and interwell oscillations. Spectrum analyses reveal that the dominant nonlinearities of SMO are quadratic and cubic, which generate rich dynamics including subharmonic and chaotic oscillations. The identified nonlinearities indicate that a third-order polynomial can be employed to approximate the measured force-displacement relationship. Such an approximation is validated via numerical study by qualitatively reproducing the phenomena observed in the experiments. The dynamic characteristics of the bistable SMO resemble those of a Helmholtz-Duffing oscillator (HDO); this suggests the possibility of applying the established tools and insights of HDO to predict origami dynamics. We also show that the bistability of SMO can be programmed within a large design space via tailoring the crease stiffness and initial stress-free configurations. The results of this research offer a wealth of fundamental insights into the dynamics of origami folding, and provide a solid foundation for developing foldable and deployable structures and materials with embedded dynamic functionalities.