Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 115396 |
| Journal | Composite structures |
| Volume | 289 |
| Early online date | 10 Mar 2022 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2022 |
Abstract
The use of piezoelectrically controlled bistable composite laminates for morphing applications has received increased attention in recent years. So far, most existing investigations have explored the possibility to trigger snap-through using large-sized piezoelectric Macro Fibre Composite (MFC) actuators bonded at the centre of the bistable laminate. However, bonding large-sized MFCs at the centre of the plate leads to flattening of the midsection of the laminate, which can result in the loss of bistability. This study presents an alternative approach of bonding distributed smaller MFCs over the entire surface of the laminate and investigate the resulting stable shapes and the change in snap-through voltages. Self-resetting piezoelectrically controlled active laminates where the MFC patches are distributed over the laminate surface have been investigated. A semi-analytical model using the Rayleigh–Ritz technique is developed to account for the distributed actuation system. Results from the proposed semi-analytical framework are verified using a corresponding finite element model. The bistable shapes, as well as the snap-through and snap-back voltages, are calculated for different distributed MFC configurations and are compared with a single MFC laminate system. Snap-through voltage predictions from the proposed semi-analytical formulation and the finite element model are compared with the experimental results for a single MFC patch available from the literature. Further, the possibility to tailor the snap-through voltages of the proposed laminate-MFC configuration is explored by replacing conventional cross-ply laminates with variable stiffness (VS) laminates generated from curvilinear fibre alignments. A finite element parametric study is performed by tailoring the VS fibre orientation parameters to achieve a bistable laminate-MFC configuration with lower snap-through requirements where the designed laminate is actuated with distributed MFC patches.
Keywords
- Bistable composites, Distributed MFC actuators, Finite element analysis, Parametric studies, Semi-analytical models
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Materials Science(all)
- Ceramics and Composites
- Engineering(all)
- Civil and Structural Engineering
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In: Composite structures, Vol. 289, 115396, 01.06.2022.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Morphing of bistable variable stiffness composites using distributed MFC actuators
AU - Anilkumar, P. M.
AU - Haldar, A.
AU - Scheffler, S.
AU - Jansen, E. L.
AU - Rao, B. N.
AU - Rolfes, R.
N1 - Funding Information: Authors would like to acknowledge Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme and the German Academic Exchange Service: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), for the research grant on Doctoral Degrees during the course of first author’s doctoral research. Anilkumar P. M. would like to thank Mr. Attada Phanendra Kumar (Former M.Tech. Student, IIT Madras) his valuable comments and discussions.
PY - 2022/6/1
Y1 - 2022/6/1
N2 - The use of piezoelectrically controlled bistable composite laminates for morphing applications has received increased attention in recent years. So far, most existing investigations have explored the possibility to trigger snap-through using large-sized piezoelectric Macro Fibre Composite (MFC) actuators bonded at the centre of the bistable laminate. However, bonding large-sized MFCs at the centre of the plate leads to flattening of the midsection of the laminate, which can result in the loss of bistability. This study presents an alternative approach of bonding distributed smaller MFCs over the entire surface of the laminate and investigate the resulting stable shapes and the change in snap-through voltages. Self-resetting piezoelectrically controlled active laminates where the MFC patches are distributed over the laminate surface have been investigated. A semi-analytical model using the Rayleigh–Ritz technique is developed to account for the distributed actuation system. Results from the proposed semi-analytical framework are verified using a corresponding finite element model. The bistable shapes, as well as the snap-through and snap-back voltages, are calculated for different distributed MFC configurations and are compared with a single MFC laminate system. Snap-through voltage predictions from the proposed semi-analytical formulation and the finite element model are compared with the experimental results for a single MFC patch available from the literature. Further, the possibility to tailor the snap-through voltages of the proposed laminate-MFC configuration is explored by replacing conventional cross-ply laminates with variable stiffness (VS) laminates generated from curvilinear fibre alignments. A finite element parametric study is performed by tailoring the VS fibre orientation parameters to achieve a bistable laminate-MFC configuration with lower snap-through requirements where the designed laminate is actuated with distributed MFC patches.
AB - The use of piezoelectrically controlled bistable composite laminates for morphing applications has received increased attention in recent years. So far, most existing investigations have explored the possibility to trigger snap-through using large-sized piezoelectric Macro Fibre Composite (MFC) actuators bonded at the centre of the bistable laminate. However, bonding large-sized MFCs at the centre of the plate leads to flattening of the midsection of the laminate, which can result in the loss of bistability. This study presents an alternative approach of bonding distributed smaller MFCs over the entire surface of the laminate and investigate the resulting stable shapes and the change in snap-through voltages. Self-resetting piezoelectrically controlled active laminates where the MFC patches are distributed over the laminate surface have been investigated. A semi-analytical model using the Rayleigh–Ritz technique is developed to account for the distributed actuation system. Results from the proposed semi-analytical framework are verified using a corresponding finite element model. The bistable shapes, as well as the snap-through and snap-back voltages, are calculated for different distributed MFC configurations and are compared with a single MFC laminate system. Snap-through voltage predictions from the proposed semi-analytical formulation and the finite element model are compared with the experimental results for a single MFC patch available from the literature. Further, the possibility to tailor the snap-through voltages of the proposed laminate-MFC configuration is explored by replacing conventional cross-ply laminates with variable stiffness (VS) laminates generated from curvilinear fibre alignments. A finite element parametric study is performed by tailoring the VS fibre orientation parameters to achieve a bistable laminate-MFC configuration with lower snap-through requirements where the designed laminate is actuated with distributed MFC patches.
KW - Bistable composites
KW - Distributed MFC actuators
KW - Finite element analysis
KW - Parametric studies
KW - Semi-analytical models
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126584780&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.compstruct.2022.115396
DO - 10.1016/j.compstruct.2022.115396
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85126584780
VL - 289
JO - Composite structures
JF - Composite structures
SN - 0263-8223
M1 - 115396
ER -