Localized reinforcement of composites employed to manufacture parts for the transport industries is making possible the lightweighting of components that have a much sought-after effect in the reduction of CO 2 and NO x emissions. However, its realization, through the removing of mass where it is not required and reinforcement added to areas more prone to stress from working loads, relies on the development of novel manufacturing processes that can create structures whose performance is on a par with their solid counterparts, but at a fraction of the weight and at an affordable production cost. In this work we exploit the use of a very weak and safe magnetic field to control the location and orientation of functionalized discontinuous carbon fibers within a polymeric structural (polyurethane) foam to create performance-optimized composites. Two wet-chemistry methods (i.e. in-situ precipitation-deposition and amine-co-adjuvated electrodeposition of magnetite) to transform commercial carbon fiber into a magnetically active form were explored. The resulting fibers were analyzed and characterized through a set of physico-chemical tests. The functionalized fibers were then embedded at 3 different %vol contents in the polymeric matrix at given locations and with a desired alignment. Their mechanical performance (incl. compression, tension) was assessed and benchmarked against both a similar %volumetric content but non-functionalized-reinforcement (i.e. randomly distributed) composites and to non-reinforced matrices. In the two sets of reinforced composites (random and aligned) there is a positive correlation between stiffness, yield strength and strain with increasing %vol content. Both sets outperformed the non-reinforced matrix, demonstrating good fiber adhesion within the matrix and successful load transfer from matrix to fiber. The magnetically aligned composites generally outperformed the non-functionalized ones in terms of stiffness and strength at yield.

The reduction of low-frequency noise transmission through thin-walled structures is a topic of research for many years now. Due to large wavelengths and the mass law, passive solutions usually gain low performance in the frequency range below 500 Hz. Active systems promised to fill the gap and to achieve significant reductions of transmitted sound. Nevertheless, experiments showed the outstanding performance of such specialized systems, but also demonstrated the computational and hardware effort of such solutions. The upcoming additive manufacturing technology enabled new multi-material designs of complex structures. Based on this technology, acoustic metamaterials emerged in the laboratories and in literature. Arrays of miniaturized locally resonant structures are able to change the noise transmission of thin walled structures beyond the limits of the given mass law in certain frequency bands. For future aircraft contra-rotating open rotor (CROR) engines are a promising technology to reduce their CO 2 footprint. Since the contribution of CROR engines to the cabin noise is higher than for jet engines, new strategies for the reduction of noise transmissions for frequency bands below 200 Hz are necessary. For the tonal noise of the CROR engines, acoustic metamaterials seem to be an appropriate solution. In this paper a 110 × 110 × 1 mm 3 thin-walled sample plate is presented. It is covered with a 5 × 5 array of multi-material resonant structures, which are printed as mass on a beam. The rubber-like beam material combines a low Young’s modulus with a high material damping, leading to a low eigenfrequency of the resonators. The design of the resonators using simulations and experimental data is shown. To explore the potential of the design, an acoustic test box is manufactured. Starting with all resonators unblocked the emitted sound intensity of the plate is measured. Sequential blocking of selected resonators proves the concept. Additional laser scanning vibrometer measurements give insights into the vibration behavior of single resonators.

The sensitivity of piezoelectric/polymer composite materials is inversely proportional to their dielectric permittivity. Introducing a cellular structure into these composites can decrease the permittivity while enhancing their mechanical flexibility. Foaming of highly filled polymer composites is however challenging. Polymers filled with high content of dense additives such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) exhibit significantly decreased physical foaming ability. This can be attributed to difficulty in gas diffusion, decreased fraction of the matrix available, the reduced number of nucleated cells and the difficulty in cell growth. Here, both CO 2 foaming and Expancel foaming were examined as potential methods to fabricate low-density thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/ PZT composite foams. While composites containing up to only 10vol.% PZT could be foamed using CO 2 , Expancel foaming could successfully yield highly-expanded composite foams containing up to 40vol.% (80wt.%) PZT. Dispersed Expancel particles in TPU/PZT composites acted as the blowing agent, activated by subjecting the samples to high temperatures using a hot press. Using Expancel, foams with expansion ratios of up to 9 were achieved. However, expansion ratios of greater than 4 were not of interest due to their poor structural integrity. The density of solid samples ranged from 1.8 to 3.3 g.cm −3 and dropped by a maximum of 80%, even for the highest PZT content, at an expansion ratio of 4. As the expansion increased, the dielectric permittivity of both CO 2 -foamed and Expancel-foamed TPU/PZT composites decreased significantly (up to 7.5 times), while the dielectric loss and electrical conductivity were affected only slightly. This combination of properties is suitable for high-sensitivity and flexible piezoelectric applications.

Inspired by the characteristics of biological muscles, rubber muscle actuators (RMAs) are lightweight and compliant structures that deliver high power/weight ratios and are currently under investigation for use in soft robotics, prosthetics, and specialized aircraft. RMA actuation is accomplished by inflating the structure’s air bladder, which results in the contraction of the muscle. In this proceedings paper, we describe the use of gaseous products from enzymatically-catalyzed reactions to pressurize and drive the motion of RMAs. Specifically, this paper details the power envelope of RMAs driven by the urease-catalyzed production of CO 2 , under dynamic loading conditions. The use of enzymatically catalyzed, gas-producing reactions is advantageous for powering RMAs, as these systems may be self-regulating and self-regenerating. Reaction design parameters for sizing the gas source to RMA power requirements and power envelope results are reported for gas-powered actuator dynamics tested on a linear motion test assembly. The power response to increasing loads reflects the partial pressure over the reaction slurry; therefore, the chemistry and reactor scale affect the entire structure’s efficiency. We outline the reactor space-time design constraints that facilitate a tailored power response for urease catalyzed gas generation sources.

Based on current capabilities, we examine the feasibility of creating a carbohydrate-based regenerative fuel cell (CRFC) as the primary power source for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for long endurance missions where station keeping is required. The CRFC power system evaluated in this research is based on a closed-loop construct where carbohydrates are generated from zooxanthellae , algae which create excess carbohydrates during photosynthesis. The carbohydrates are then fed to a carbohydrate fuel cell where electric power is generated for the UAV’s propulsion, flight control, payload, and accessory systems. The waste products from the fuel cell, carbon dioxide and water, are used by the zooxanthellae to create more carbohydrates, therefore mass is conserved in the process of power generation. The overall goal of this research is to examine the potential of CRFCs as a viable power source for UAV systems, to look at scaling issues related to different vehicle sizes and missions, and to identify sensitivities in the CRFC system to different system parameters, indicating the areas where technology improvements may make CRFCs a viable technology. Through simulations, a UAV is sized to determine if greater than 24 hour endurance flight is possible and these results are compared to UAVs using more traditional photo-cell based power systems. The initial results suggest that CRFCs have potential as a power system for long endurance UAVs, and could offer significant improvements to the overall system performance. The final outcome of this research is to identify the most important areas for more detailed follow-on work in designing a production-ready CRFC power system for long endurance UAVs.

This study details the synthesis and characterization of composites and composite foams of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). LDPE-MWCNT composites were prepared by melt blending the components in a twin screw compounder and their foams were produced by batch foaming using CO 2 as the blowing agent. The composites were characterized for dispersion using SEM and image results indicate good dispersability of MWCNT in LDPE with the formation of a MWCNT network in the LDPE matrix. Thermal and rheological properties of the composites were characterized and results indicate that even a small amount (1 wt.%) of MWCNTs can significantly affect the crystallization kinetics and the rheological behavior. Batch foaming results of the composites depict MWCNTs as heterogeneous nucleation sites for gas bubbles as indicated by the increase in cell density of the composite foams when compared to LDPE foams.