Related papers: Optimized shock-protecting microstructures
This paper demonstrates the computational design of soft elastomeric pneumatic actuators using nonlinear topology optimization. An existing density- and porohyperelasticity-based topology optimization framework was extended from 2D to 3D…
Nature has engineered complex designs to achieve advanced properties and functionalities through evolution, over millions of years. Many organisms have adapted to their living environment producing extremely efficient materials and…
A key feature of mechanical structures ranging from crumple zones in cars to padding in packaging is their ability to provide protection by absorbing mechanical energy. Designing structures to efficiently meet these needs has profound…
Exploring the dynamical response of mechanical metamaterials has gathered increasing attention in the last decades, enabling the design of microstructures exotically interacting with elastic waves (focusing, channeling, band-gaps, negative…
We develop a novel two-layer approach for optimising mortgage relief products through a simulated multi-agent mortgage environment. While the approach is generic, here the environment is calibrated to the US mortgage market based on…
Nonlinear evolution of shear waves into shocks in incompressible elastic materials is investigated using the framework of large deformation elastodynamics, for a family of loadings and commonly used hyperelastic material models. Closed form…
Soft robotic grasping has rapidly spread through the academic robotics community in recent years and pushed into industrial applications. At the same time, multimaterial 3D printing has become widely available, enabling the monolithic…
Joint injuries, and their long-term consequences, present a substantial global health burden. Wearable prophylactic braces are an attractive potential solution to reduce the incidence of joint injuries by limiting joint movements that are…
We propose a novel approach to optimize the design of heterogeneous materials, with the goal of enhancing their effective fracture toughness under mode-I loading. The method employs a Gaussian processes-based Bayesian optimization framework…
In this mini-review we summarize the progress of modeling, simulation and analysis of shock responses of heterogeneous materials in our group in recent years. The basic methodology is as below. We first decompose the problem into different…
In this paper we present a novel two-scale framework to optimize the structure and the material distribution of an object given its functional specifications. Our approach utilizes multi-material microstructures as low-level building blocks…
This paper presents a Material Mask Overlay topology optimization approach with the improved material assignment at the element level for achieving the desired discreteness of the optimized designs for pressure-loaded problems. Hexagonal…
The concept of concurrent material and structure optimization aims at alleviating the computational discovery of optimum microstructure configurations in multiphase hierarchical systems, whose macroscale behavior is governed by their…
This paper presents a systematic topology optimization framework for designing a soft pneumatic gripper (SPG), explicitly considering the design-dependent nature of the actuating load. The load is modeled using Darcy's law with an added…
In this paper we apply topology optimization to micro-structured superhydrophobic surfaces for the first time. It has been experimentally observed that a droplet suspended on a brush of micrometric posts shows a high static contact angle…
The design of specified nonlinear mechanical responses into a structure or material is a highly sought after capability, which would have a significant impact in areas such as wave tailoring in metamaterials, impact mitigation, soft…
Industry 4.0 envisions a fully automated manufacturing environment, in which computerized manufacturing equipment--Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS)--performs all tasks. These machines are open to a variety of cyber and cyber-physical attacks,…
The concept of cloaking -- hiding objects from external detection -- has seen wide success in linear systems. Yet, translating these advancements to nonlinear mechanical systems remains an open challenge. Here, we present a new approach to…
Humanoid robots are envisioned as general-purpose platforms in human-centered environments, yet their deployment is limited by vulnerability to falls and the risks posed by rigid metal-plastic structures to people and surroundings. We…
Elastomeric mechanical metamaterials exhibit unconventional behaviour, emerging from their microstructures often deforming in a highly nonlinear and unstable manner. Such microstructural pattern transformations lead to non-local behaviour…