I-Corps: Cellular Materials for Maximum Lightweighting and Structural Efficiency

这个i-corps项目的广泛影响/商业潜力可能会影响到许多行业和应用，在这些行业和应用中，轻量级结构和材料具有优势。蜂窝材料，如蜂窝、泡沫和格子材料，是中低密度下最轻、最硬、最坚固的材料。在航空航天、汽车、国防、土木工程、体育器材等行业，对更轻、更硬、更坚固的材料的需求一直存在。用户需要更轻的材料来体验更好的性能，而生产商则寻求更轻的材料来获得竞争优势。该项目旨在寻找一种超轻质蜂窝材料几何结构的商业应用-一种3D蜂窝-达到结构效率和刚度的理论上限。这种独特的几何形状是此类结构中的第一个，可以促进具有极高刚度、高强度和最大轻量化性能的结构。这个i-Corps项目评估了3D蜂窝状材料几何形状的商业可行性，其智力价值包括建立伴随的设计、分析和实验方案的商业实用性，这使得能够创建具有最大刚度和非常高强度的轻型优化结构。这种设计由两个高度各向异性的子几何结构组成，它们的贡献可以通过简单的设计参数在当地进行定制，以产生功能梯度和高度优化的结构。材质的对称性和对齐在3D空间中是唯一的。相对简单的几何结构可以通过折纸一样折叠来制造，允许访问多种材料系统和非常低密度的结构。此设计是使用半自动有限元建模算法生成的，该算法允许考虑各种设计。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-corps project can affect many industries and applications where lightweight structures and materials are advantageous. Cellular materials, such as honeycombs, foams, and lattice materials, are some of the lightest, stiffest, and strongest available at moderate to low density. There is an ever present demand for lighter, stiffer and stronger materials in industries such as aerospace, automotive, defense, civil engineering, sports equipment. Lighter materials are demanded by users to experience enhanced performance, and they are sought by producers to gain a competitive edge. This project aims to find commercial applications for an ultra-lightweight cellular materials geometry-a type of 3D honeycomb-that achieves theoretical upper limits for structural efficiency and stiffness. This unique geometry is the first of its kind, and can facilitate structures with extreme stiffness, high strength, and maximum lightweight performance. The main focus is to identify opportunities in unmanned aerial vehicles for defense and commercial use.This I-Corps project assesses the commercial viability of a 3D honeycomb-like material geometry, and the Intellectual Merit encompasses establishing the commercial utility of the accompanying design, analysis and experimental scheme, which enables the creation of lightweight optimized structures with maximum stiffness and very high strength. This design is composed of two highly anisotropic subgeometries whose contributions can be tailored locally, through simple design parameters, to produce functionally graded and highly optimized structures. The symmetries and alignments of material are unique in 3D space. The relatively simple geometry can be fabricated through origami like sheet folding, allowing access to a multitude of material systems and very low density structures. This design was generated using a semi-automated finite element modeling algorithm, which allowed for a wide variety of designs to be considered.