An active interface for rapid structural control

大多数自然生物在与环境相互作用时表现出迷人的机械多功能性。刚度调谐在自然界中被用作将刚性结构的承载功能与顺应性和适应性结合的联合收割机的有力工具。在棘皮动物中可以看到刚度调谐的一个显著例子，例如海参，其中机械刚度可以在不到1秒的时间内改变10倍。人造结构通常被设计成满足特定的承载要求。为了增加其他功能，通常需要额外的组件;这些增加了结构的总重量和成本，从而导致性能，效率和安全性方面的限制。因此，在结构内嵌入感测、致动和控制是非常期望的。受自然生物体刚度调节的启发，近年来已经开发了各种合成材料用于主动结构控制。然而，在短时间内实现显着的刚度降低与最低的功率要求，但不破坏结构的承载能力仍然是一些主要的challenges.In本提案中，我们的目标是解决这些挑战，利用最新的进展，在光电子和纳米技术的设计，制造和评估的纳米结构的互连金属网络嵌入在热塑性层。然后，该层将在常规多层结构中用作活性界面。一旦启动，它将提供快速的结构控制和冲击保护能力。我们将使用实验和数值相结合的方法来研究这个接口的电-热-机械响应。了解限制响应时间的主要物理障碍以及控制该接口在恶劣电热载荷下的稳定性和失效的基本参数，将有助于我们更好地在微观水平上设计该接口，以满足快速响应和低功耗的要求。功能和智能结构。该技术在机器人、变形和可展开结构、主动阻尼和主动冲击保护等方面有着广泛的应用。作为一种潜在的代表性技术，我们的目标是将这种活性夹层用于汽车的夹层玻璃挡风玻璃。在挡风玻璃中应用这种透明的主动界面将有助于保护易受伤害的道路使用者免受头部相关伤害，并被认为是设计更适合行人/骑自行车的车辆的一个步骤。为了推动这项技术的发展，萨里大学正在与NSG集团成员皮尔金顿合作，该集团是世界上最大的建筑，汽车和技术玻璃行业玻璃和玻璃产品制造商之一，以制造和测试这种用于汽车挡风玻璃的活性透明夹层。

Most natural organisms show fascinating mechanical versatility when interacting with their environments. Stiffness tuning in nature is used as a powerful tool to combine the load carrying functionality of rigid structures with compliance and adaptability. A remarkable example of stiffness tuning can be seen in echinoderms, such as sea cucumbers, where the mechanical stiffness can change by a factor of 10 in less than 1s. Human-made structures are normally designed to meet a specific load carrying requirement. To add other functionalities, additional components are often required; these increase the total weight and cost of the structure and consequently cause limitations in performance, efficiency and safety. Therefore, embedding sensing, actuation and control within a structure is highly desirable. Inspired by stiffness tuning in natural organisms, various synthetic materials have been developed in recent years for active structural control. However, achieving significant stiffness reduction in a short time frame with minimum power requirements but without undermining the load carrying capacity of the structure remain as some of main challenges.In this proposal, we aim to tackle these challenges by exploiting recent advances in optoelectronics and nanotechnology to design, manufacture and evaluate a nano-structured interconnected metallic network embedded in a thermoplastic layer. This layer will be then employed, as an active interface, in a conventional multi-layered structure. Upon activation, it will provide rapid structural control and impact protection capabilities. We will use a combined experimental and numerical approach to investigate the electro-thermo-mechanical response of this interface. Understanding the main physical obstacles that limit the response time and the fundamental parameters controlling the stability and the failure of this interface under harsh electro-thermal loading will help us to better engineer this interface at the micro level to meet the fast response and low power requirements.This new understanding will accelerate the technology readiness level of active structural control technology to be used in future multi-functional and smart structures. This technology has a wide range of application in robotics, morphing and deployable structures, active damping and active impact protection. As a potential representative technology, we aim to employ this active interlayer in laminated glass windscreens for automotive vehicles. Application of this transparent active interface in windscreens will help protect vulnerable road users against head-related injuries and is believed to be a step change toward designing more pedestrian/cyclist-friendly vehicles. To motivate the development of this technology, the University of Surrey is partnering with Pilkington, a member of the NSG group, which is one of the world's largest manufactures of glass and glazing products for architectural, automotive and technical glass sectors to manufacture and test this active transparent interlayer for application in automotive windscreens.