Journal of Bionic Engineering ›› 2023, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (3): 982-991.doi: 10.1007/s42235-022-00306-w
Fiber-dominated Soft Actuators Inspired by Plant Cell Walls and Skeletal Muscles
Luquan Ren1; Qian Wu1; Qingping Liu1; Lei Ren1,2; Kunyang Wang1; Xueli Zhou1; Zhenguo Wang1; Yulin He1; Che Zhao3; Bingqian Li1
- 1 Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China 2 School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK 3 School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213032, China
Fiber-dominated Soft Actuators Inspired by Plant Cell Walls and Skeletal Muscles
Luquan Ren1; Qian Wu1; Qingping Liu1; Lei Ren1,2; Kunyang Wang1; Xueli Zhou1; Zhenguo Wang1; Yulin He1; Che Zhao3; Bingqian Li1
- 1 Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China 2 School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK 3 School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213032, China
摘要： Morphing botanical tissues and animal muscles are all fiber-mediated composites, in which fibers play a passive and active role, respectively. Herein, inspired by the mechanism of fibers functioning in morphing botanical tissues and animal muscles, we propose two sorts of fiber-dominated composite actuators. First, inspired by the deformation of awned seeds in response to humidity change, we fabricate passive fiber-dominated actuators using non-active aligned carbon fibers via 4D printing method. The effects of process parameters, structural parameters, and fiber angles on the deformation of the printed actuators are examined. The experimental results show that the orientation degree is enhanced, resulting in a better swelling effect as the printing speed increases. Then, motivated by the actuation mechanism of skeletal muscle, we prepare active fiber-dominated actuators using active polyurethane fibers via 4D printing and pre-stretching method. The effect of fiber angle and loading on the actuation mode is experimentally analyzed. The experimental results show that the rotation angle of the actuator gradually decreases with the angle from 45° to 60°. When the fiber angle is 0° and 90°, the driver basically stops rotating while shrinking along the loading direction. Based on the above actuation mechanisms, identical contraction behaviors are realized both in passive and active fiber-dominated soft actuators. This work provides a validation method for biologically actuation mechanisms via 4D printing technique and smart materials and adds further insights to the design of bioinspired soft actuators.