Soft curvature sensors for measuring the rotational angles of mechanical fingers

The design, fabrication, and testing of soft sensors that measure elastomer curvature and mechanical finger bending are described in this study. The base of the soft sensors is polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which is a translucent elastomer. The main body of the soft sensors consists of three layers of silicone rubber plate, and the sensing element is a microchannel filled with galliumindium-tin (Ga-In-Sn) alloy, which is embedded in the elastomer. First, the working principle of soft sensors is investigated, and their structure is designed. Second, the relationship between curvature and resistance is determined. Third, several sensors with different specifications are built in accordance with the structural design. Experiments show that the sensors exhibit high accuracy when the curvature changes within a certain range. Lastly, the soft sensors are applied to the measurement of mechanical finger bending. Experiments show that soft curvature sensors can effectively reflect mechanical finger bending and can be used to measure the bending of mechanical fingers with high sensitivity within a certain working range.

Numerical modelling of induction heated multi-zones rubber vulcanization process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to research a multi-zone rubber vulcanization process heated by induction. Design/methodology/approach The design is an abstract setup model with two zones, where the homogene rubber compound is heated with different regimes. Simulation is completely done in ANSYS Mechanical by the finite element method solution. The research is made mostly simulative. Findings The results show that it is possible to obtain a factor-three vulcanization level difference in a core of a 20-mm rubber plate in a distance of less than 60 mm, while the heating is done from the side of the surface. Originality/value The originality is the combination of rubber vulcanization with a dynamic heat source in a form of electromagnetic induction applied on the mold form. This allows a high level of control of the vulcanization process of the rubber compound.

Large Amplitude Vibrations of Thin Hyperelastic Plates: Neo-Hookean Model

Static deflection and large amplitude vibrations of a rubber plate are analyzed. Both the geometrical and physical (material) nonlinearities are taken into account. The properties of the plate hyperelastic material are described by the Neo-Hookean law. A method for building a local model, which approximates the plate behavior around a deformed configuration, is proposed. This local model takes the form of a system of ordinary differential equations with quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. The results obtained with the help of this local model are compared to the solution of the exact model, and are found to be accurate. The difference between the model retaining both physical and geometrical non-inearities and a model with only geometrical nonlinearities is also analyzed. It is found that influence of physically induced nonlinearities at moderate strains is significant.

Study on Damage Capabilities of Multiple Hulls Structure under Underwater Explosion

In order to study the damage capabilities of multiple hulls structure under underwater explosion, the damage mechanism of contact blasting and noncontact blasting on target is analyzed, and the formula of shock wave in water goes through multiple hulls structure is put forward. Using armor plate and aluminum plate、copper plate、rubber plate as models respectively, numerical simulation is done by LS-DYNA, the stress distribution and displacement of multiple hulls structure under underwater contact blasting are got. Lastly, test research on damage capabilities of multiple hulls structure under underwater explosion is finished. The result shows that the anti-explosion capabilities of multiple hulls will improve greatly when underwater ship adopted this kind of structure.