An Efficient Computational Inverse Approach for Optimal Design of Localized Activation and Actuation for Morphing SMP Structures Available to Purchase

A strategy is presented to identify the optimal localized activation and actuation for a morphing thermally-activated SMP structure or structural component to obtain a targeted shape change subject to design objectives such as minimal total required energy and time. This strategy combines numerical representations of the SMP structure’s thermo-mechanical behavior subject to activation and actuation with nonlinear optimization methods to efficiently solve the morphing inverse problem that includes minimizing cost functions which address thermal and mechanical energy, morphing time, and damage. The details of this strategy are presented along with simulated examples to display the capabilities and limitations, as well as potential future directions for improving these techniques.