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Development and Experimental Validation of Thermally Stable Unimorph SMP Actuators Incorporating Transverse Curvature

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Residual Stress, Thermomechanics & Infrared Imaging, Hybrid Techniques and Inverse Problems, Volume 9

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Abstract

Shape memory polymers (SMP) have the potential to be utilized as a lightweight, solid state actuator in modern reconfigurable structures including as deployment systems for satellite solar panels or morphing aircraft wings. This paper is predominantly focused on the use of Veriflex-S®, a thermally activated SMP, and bi-directional carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) in a flexural unimorph actuator configuration. The disadvantage of a unimorph composite actuator (UCA) as opposed to an actuator with a SMP matrix or a SMP composite sandwich structure is that UCA behaves like a bimaterial strip when heated or cooled. This means that large temperature swings, like those seen in space environments, will result in large out-of-plane curvature. These deformations can greatly affect the effectiveness of reconfigurable structures. This paper explains the development and experimental validation of a closed-form solution for a thermally stable unimorph actuator which exhibits minimal out-of-plane deformation when subjected to a thermal stimulus. A closed-form solution of the SMP actuator was developed and a set of UCA actuators were experimentally evaluated utilizing digital image correlation (DIC) to validate the conceptual model created. The experimental results indicate that the closed-form solution appears to be accurate as the maximum out-of-plane deformations for several non-ideal thermally stable actuators were less than 0.6 mm for a 65 °C temperature change.

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Abbreviations

c:

Polymer width

CF:

Carbon fiber

CFRP:

Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer

COV:

Coefficient of variation

CTE:

Coefficient of thermal expansion

L:

Actuator length

MAV:

Micro air vehicle

NA:

Neutral axis

s:

Substrate width

SMP:

Shape memory polymer

t:

Polymer thickness

Tg :

Glass transition temperature

u, v, w:

Lengthwise, widthwise, and vertical displacements

UCA:

Unimorph composite actuator

x, y, z:

Lengthwise, widthwise, and vertical coordinates

ρ:

Substrate radius of curvature

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of Florida, 571 Gale Lemerand Dr., MAE-C 134, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Jason T. Cantrell & Peter G. Ifju

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  1. Jason T. Cantrell
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  2. Peter G. Ifju
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Correspondence to Jason T. Cantrell .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southampton , Southampton, United Kingdom

    Simon Quinn

  2. Clermont AuvergneSigma Clermont, Institut Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Xavier Balandraud

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Cantrell, J.T., Ifju, P.G. (2017). Development and Experimental Validation of Thermally Stable Unimorph SMP Actuators Incorporating Transverse Curvature. In: Quinn, S., Balandraud, X. (eds) Residual Stress, Thermomechanics & Infrared Imaging, Hybrid Techniques and Inverse Problems, Volume 9. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42255-8_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42255-8_22

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