In this paper, we describe preliminary analysis for a method of constructing homogeneous actuated electromechanical composite structures from many smaller electromechanical “active cells”. The preliminary cell design consists of a contractile shape memory alloy (SMA) elements (Nitinol) connecting two electrically conductive terminals. The composite structure is actuated by applying a gross electrical potential across the entire structure. This causes connected cells to activate through resistive heating. The material properties of the ensemble structure can be varied by changing the properties of the binding material, enabling a wide range of stiffness and damping properties. A structure made from these cells can be easily fabricated in a nearly arbitrary shape — simply by producing an appropriate mold — and would be highly redundant and robust to localized cell failures. The primary focus of this paper is to perform a static analysis of the connectivity of arrays of active cells and the associated power dissipation in the individual cells.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2012 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems
September 19–21, 2012
Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Aerospace Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4509-7
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Towards Hyper-Redundant and Super-Configurable Articulated Structures
John P. Swensen,
John P. Swensen
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Search for other works by this author on:
Aaron M. Dollar
Aaron M. Dollar
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Search for other works by this author on:
John P. Swensen
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Aaron M. Dollar
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Paper No:
SMASIS2012-8069, pp. 111-116; 6 pages
Published Online:
July 24, 2013
Citation
Swensen, JP, & Dollar, AM. "Towards Hyper-Redundant and Super-Configurable Articulated Structures." Proceedings of the ASME 2012 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems. Volume 1: Development and Characterization of Multifunctional Materials; Modeling, Simulation and Control of Adaptive Systems; Structural Health Monitoring. Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA. September 19–21, 2012. pp. 111-116. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/SMASIS2012-8069
Download citation file:
5
Views
0
Citations
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
SMA Hybrid Composites for Dynamic Response Abatement Applications
J. Vib. Acoust (June,2005)
Seismic Vibration Control Using Superelastic Shape Memory Alloys
J. Eng. Mater. Technol (July,2006)
Related Chapters
Introduction and Definitions
Handbook on Stiffness & Damping in Mechanical Design
Supporting Systems/Foundations
Handbook on Stiffness & Damping in Mechanical Design
Cubic Lattice Structured Multi Agent Based PSO Approach for Optimal Power Flows with Security Constraints
International Conference on Software Technology and Engineering, 3rd (ICSTE 2011)