scholarly journals Underwater Bending Actuator Based on Integrated Anisotropic Textile Materials and a Conductive Hydrogel Electrode

Actuators ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 270
Author(s):  
Sascha Pfeil ◽  
Alice Mieting ◽  
Rebecca Grün ◽  
Konrad Katzer ◽  
Johannes Mersch ◽  
...  

Electroactive polymers (EAPs), especially dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), belong to a very promising and emerging class of functional materials. While DEAs are mostly utilized to rely on carbon-based electrodes, there are certain shortcomings of the use of carbon electrodes in the field of soft robotics. In this work we present a fish-like bending structure to serve as possible propulsion element, completely avoiding carbon-based electrodes. The presented robot is moving under water, using a particularly tailored conductive hydrogel as inner electrode and a highly anisotropic textile material to manipulate the bending behavior of the robot. The charge separation to drive two DEAs on the outsides of the robot is provided by the conductive hydrogel while the surrounding water serves as counter electrode. To characterize the hydrogel, tensile tests and impedance spectroscopy are used as measurement methods of choice. The performance of the robot was evaluated using a digital image correlation (DIC) measurement for its bending deflections under water. The developed fish-like robot was able to perform a dynamic bending movement, based on a tri-stable actuator setup. The performed measurements underpin the sufficient characteristics for an underwater application of conductive hydrogel electrodes as well as the applicability of the robotic concept for under water actuations.

Author(s):  
A. Bauer ◽  
M. Vollmer ◽  
T. Niendorf

AbstractIn situ tensile tests employing digital image correlation were conducted to study the martensitic transformation of oligocrystalline Fe–Mn–Al–Ni shape memory alloys in depth. The influence of different grain orientations, i.e., near-〈001〉 and near-〈101〉, as well as the influence of different grain boundary misorientations are in focus of the present work. The results reveal that the reversibility of the martensite strongly depends on the type of martensitic evolving, i.e., twinned or detwinned. Furthermore, it is shown that grain boundaries lead to stress concentrations and, thus, to formation of unfavored martensite variants. Moreover, some martensite plates seem to penetrate the grain boundaries resulting in a high degree of irreversibility in this area. However, after a stable microstructural configuration is established in direct vicinity of the grain boundary, the transformation begins inside the neighboring grains eventually leading to a sequential transformation of all grains involved.


Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1094
Author(s):  
M. A. Lakhdari ◽  
F. Krajcarz ◽  
J. D. Mithieux ◽  
H. P. Van Landeghem ◽  
M. Veron

The impact of microstructure evolution on mechanical properties in superduplex stainless steel UNS S32750 (EN 1.4410) was investigated. To this end, different thermomechanical treatments were carried out in order to obtain clearly distinct duplex microstructures. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, together with texture measurements, were used to characterize the morphology and the preferred orientations of ferrite and austenite in all microstructures. Additionally, the mechanical properties were assessed by tensile tests with digital image correlation. Phase morphology was not found to significantly affect the mechanical properties and neither were phase volume fractions within 13% of the 50/50 ratio. Austenite texture was the same combined Goss/Brass texture regardless of thermomechanical processing, while ferrite texture was mainly described by α-fiber orientations. Ferrite texture and average phase spacing were found to have a notable effect on mechanical properties. One of the original microstructures of superduplex stainless steel obtained here shows a strength improvement by the order of 120 MPa over the industrial material.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3013
Author(s):  
Leszek Czechowski

The paper deals with an examination of the behaviour of glued Ti-Al column under compression at elevated temperature. The tests of compressed columns with initial load were performed at different temperatures to obtain their characteristics and the load-carrying capacity. The deformations of columns during tests were registered by employing non-contact Digital Image Correlation Aramis® System. The numerical computations based on finite element method by using two different discrete models were carried out to validate the empirical results. To solve the problems, true stress-logarithmic strain curves of one-directional tensile tests dependent on temperature both for considered metals and glue were implemented to software. Numerical estimations based on Green–Lagrange equations for large deflections and strains were conducted. The paper reveals the influence of temperature on the behaviour of compressed C-profile Ti-Al columns. It was verified how the load-carrying capacity of glued bi-metal column decreases with an increase in the temperature increment. The achieved maximum loads at temperature 200 °C dropped by 2.5 times related to maximum loads at ambient temperature.


Metals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 654
Author(s):  
Ryosuke Matsutani ◽  
Nobuo Nakada ◽  
Susumu Onaka

Ultra-fine-grained (UFG) Cu shows little total elongation in tensile tests because simple shear deformation is concentrated in narrow regions during the initial stage of plastic deformation. Here, we attempted to improve the total elongation of UFG Cu obtained by equal-channel angular pressing. By making shallow dents on the side surfaces of the plate-like specimens, this induced pure shear deformation and increased their total elongation. During the tensile tests, we observed the overall and local deformation of the dented and undented UFG Cu specimens. Using three-dimensional digital image correlation, we found that the dented specimens showed suppression of thickness reduction and delay in fracture by enhancement of pure shear deformation. However, the dented and undented specimens had the same ultimate tensile strength. These results provide us a new concept to increase total elongation of UFG materials.


2018 ◽  
Vol 266 ◽  
pp. 555-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jishi Zhang ◽  
Wenqian Zhao ◽  
Huiwen Zhang ◽  
Zejie Wang ◽  
Chuanfang Fan ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Christopher D. Newton ◽  
Jonathan P. Jones ◽  
Adam L. Chamberlain ◽  
Martin R. Bache

The complex structural architecture and inherent processing artefacts within ceramic matrix composites combine to induce inhomogeneous deformation and damage prior to ultimate failure. Bulk measurements of strain via extensometry or even localised strain gauging will fail to characterise such inhomogeneity when performing conventional mechanical testing on laboratory scaled coupons. The current research project has, therefore, applied digital image correlation (DIC) techniques to the room temperature axial assessment of a SiCf/SiC composite under static and ratchetted loading. As processed SiCf/SiC panels were subjected to detailed X-ray computed tomography (XCT) inspection prior to specimen extraction and subsequent mechanical testing. In situ DIC strain measurements were taken throughout the period of room temperature monotonic and ratchet style tensile tests. Contemporary acoustic emission (AE) signals were also recorded to indicate significant damage events and the onset of ultimate failure. Data from these separate monitoring techniques were correlated to indicate the sensitivity or otherwise to pre-existing artefacts within the as received CMC panels.


Author(s):  
Giovanni B. Broggiato ◽  
Luca Cortese

In experimental mechanics, the possibility of tracking on component surfaces the full-field stress and strain states during deformation can be utilized for many purposes such as formability limits determination, quantification of stress intensification factors, material characterization and so on. Concerning the last topic, an interesting application could be a direct identification of the elasto-plastic material response up to large deformation. It is well known, in fact, that with traditional measurement devices it is possible to retrieve the true equivalent stress versus true equivalent strain data from tensile tests only up to the onset of necking, where localization starts to occur. This work aims to show how from the knowledge of a tensile test full-field strain and of load data it will be possible to obtain the full-stress field as well as the complete material elasto-plastic behavior.


Conventional actuators based on metal and ceramics face challenges in utilizing them for service and welfare robots, which should work cooperatively with human workers. Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are a promising alternative to the conventional hard actuators, because they can realize motions which more resemble those of human muscles. Our research aimed at developing a DEA for applications in handling robotic arms and gripper hands for service/welfare robots. To this end, the elements of soft actuator ought to be fabricated and integrated into a large-scale array. Design of the actuator need to be optimized using computational dynamics and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The application of DEA in robotics is expected to create a drive for the practical realization of reliable and functional DEAs. It could also promote commercialization and tap into the vast potential service/welfare robotic market


2010 ◽  
Vol 24-25 ◽  
pp. 379-384
Author(s):  
J.H. Kim ◽  
F. Nunio ◽  
Fabrice Pierron ◽  
P. Vedrine

Tensile tests were performed in order to identify the stiffness components of superconducting windings in the shape of rings (also called ‘double pancakes’). The stereo image correlation technique was used for full-field displacement measurements. The strain components were then obtained from the measured displacement fields by numerical differentiation. Because differentiation is very sensitive to spatial noise, the displacement maps were fitted by polynomials before differentiation using a linear least-square method. Then, in the orthotropy basis, the four in-plane stiffnesses of the double pancake were determined using the Virtual Fields Method.


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