scholarly journals Finite Element Modeling in the Design Process of 3D Printed Pneumatic Soft Actuators and Sensors

Robotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charbel Tawk ◽  
Gursel Alici

The modeling of soft structures, actuators, and sensors is challenging, primarily due to the high nonlinearities involved in such soft robotic systems. Finite element modeling (FEM) is an effective technique to represent soft and deformable robotic systems containing geometric nonlinearities due to large mechanical deformations, material nonlinearities due to the inherent nonlinear behavior of the materials (i.e., stress-strain behavior) involved in such systems, and contact nonlinearities due to the surfaces that come into contact upon deformation. Prior to the fabrication of such soft robotic systems, FEM can be used to predict their behavior efficiently and accurately under various inputs and optimize their performance and topology to meet certain design and performance requirements. In this article, we present the implementation of FEM in the design process of directly three-dimensional (3D) printed pneumatic soft actuators and sensors to accurately predict their behavior and optimize their performance and topology. We present numerical and experimental results to show that this approach is very effective to rapidly and efficiently design the soft actuators and sensors to meet certain design requirements and to save time, modeling, design, and fabrication resources.

Author(s):  
T. D. Marusich ◽  
S. Usui ◽  
R. Aphale ◽  
N. Saini ◽  
R. Li ◽  
...  

The three dimensional (3D) finite element modeling (FEM) and experimental validation of drilling are presented. The Third Wave AdvantEdge machining simulation software is applied for the FEM. It includes fully adaptive unstructured mesh generation, thermo-mechanically coupling, deformable tool-chip-workpiece contact, interfacial heat transfer across the tool-chip boundary, and constitutive models appropriate for process conditions and finite deformation analyses. The workpiece is modeled with a predrilled cone-shape blind hole to enable the early full-engagement of the whole drill point region to reduce the simulation time. Drilling experiments are conducted on the Ti-6Al-4V using a twist drill geometry. The calculated cutting force and torque are compared with the results of experiments with good agreement. Effects of process parameters on the stress and temperature distributions of the drill and workpiece are investigated in detail using the FEM.


MRS Bulletin ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 597-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Spanos ◽  
D.J. Rowenhorst ◽  
A.C. Lewis ◽  
A.B. Geltmacher

AbstractThis article first provides a brief review of the status of the subfield of three-dimensional (3D) materials analyses that combine serial sectioning, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and finite element modeling (FEM) of materials microstructures, with emphasis on initial investigations and how they led to the current state of this research area. The discussions focus on studies of the mechanical properties of polycrystalline materials where 3D reconstructions of the microstructure—including crystallographic orientation information—are used as input into image-based 3D FEM simulations. The authors' recent work on a β-stabilized Ti alloy is utilized for specific examples to illustrate the capabilities of these experimental and modeling techniques, the challenges and the solutions associated with these methods, and the types of results and analyses that can be obtained by the close integration of experiments and simulations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-131
Author(s):  
M. Amini ◽  
H. Kalvøy ◽  
Ø.G. Martinsen

AbstractMonitoring a biological tissue as a three dimensional (3D) model is of high importance. Both the measurement technique and the measuring electrode play substantial roles in providing accurate 3D measurements. Bioimpedance spectroscopy has proven to be a noninvasive method providing the possibility of monitoring a 3D construct in a real time manner. On the other hand, advances in electrode fabrication has made it possible to use flexible electrodes with different configurations, which makes 3D measurements possible. However, designing an experimental measurement set-up for monitoring a 3D construct can be costly and time consuming and would require many tissue models. Finite element modeling methods provide a simple alternative for studying the performance of the electrode and the measurement set-up before starting with the experimental measurements. Therefore, in this study we employed the COMSOL Multiphysics finite element modeling method for simulating the effects of changing the electrode configuration on the impedance spectroscopy measurements of a venous segment. For this purpose, the simulations were performed for models with different electrode configurations. The simulation results provided us with the possibility of finding the optimal electrode configuration including the geometry, number and dimensions of the electrodes, which can be later employed in the experimental measurement set-up.


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