Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators from Anisotropic Porous Polymer Template

Controlling self‐assembly behaviors of liquid crystals is a fundamental issue for designing them as intelligent actuators. Here, anisotropic porous polyvinylidene fluoride film is utilized as a template to induce homogeneous alignment of liquid crystals. The mechanism of liquid crystal alignment induced by anisotropic porous polyvinylidene fluoride film is illustrated based on the relationship between the alignment behavior of liquid crystals and surface microstructure of anisotropic polyvinylidene fluoride film. Liquid crystal elastomer actuators with fast responsiveness, large strain change, and reversible actuation behaviors are achieved by the photopolymerization of liquid crystal monomer in liquid crystal cells coated with anisotropic porous films.

     

A Bistable Microelectromechanical System Actuated by Spin-Crossover Molecules

We report on a bistable MEMS device actuated by spin-crossover molecules. The device consists of a freestanding silicon microcantilever with an integrated piezoresistive detection system, which was coated with a 140 nm thick film of the [Fe(HB(tz)₃)₂] (tz=1,2,4-triazol-1-yl) molecular spin-crossover complex. Switching from the low-spin to the high-spin state of the ferrous ions at 338 K led to a reversible upward bending of the cantilever in agreement with the change in the lattice parameters of the complex. The strong mechanical coupling was also evidenced by the decrease of approximately 66 Hz in the resonance frequency in the high-spin state as well as by the drop in the quality factor around the spin transition.     

Stabilization of Parametric Vibrations of a Nonlinear Continuous System

The purpose of the present paper is to solve an active control problem of nonlinear continuous system parametric vibrations excited by the fluctuating force. The problem is solved using the concept of distributed piezoelectric sensors and actuators with a sufficiently large value of velocity feedback. The direct Liapunov method is proposed to establish criteria for the almost sure stochastic stability of the unperturbed (trivial) solution of the shell with closed-loop control. The distributed control is realized by the piezoelectric sensor and actuator, with the changing widths, glued to the upper and lower shell surface. The relation between the stabilization of nonlinear problem and a linearized one is examined. The fluctuating axial force is modeled by the physically realizable ergodic process. The rate velocity feedback is applied to stabilize the shell parametric vibrations.     

Design of a Beam with Controllable Force Elements

A method for solving the problem of design of an intellectual structure formulated for the pair optimal position of actuators, optimal control of actuators is developed. In the method proposed, physical and logical objects are treated as equivalent.     

Photoinduced Nonlinear Contraction Behavior in Metal–Organic Frameworks

The photoinduced dynamic behavior of flexible materials has received considerable attention for potential applications, such as in data storage or as smart optical devices and molecular mechanical actuators. Until now, precisely controlling expansion and contraction with light has remained a challenge. Unraveling the detailed mechanisms of photoinduced structural transformations remains a critical step necessary to understand the molecular architecture necessary for the design of sensitive photomechanical actuators. Herein, a two-dimensional flexible metal–organic framework [Zn₂(bdc)₂(3-CH₃-spy)₂]⋅H₂O ( Zn₂-1 ; H₂bdc=1,4-benzenedicaboxylic acid; 3-CH₃-spy=3-methylstyrylpyridine) with a positive volumetric thermal expansion coefficient of +78.78×10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ is reported. Upon light irradiation at different wavelengths, the MOF underwent a [2+2] cycloaddition, which afforded a family of isomeric, three-dimensional MOFs ( Zn₂-2 n , n=a–d) in a single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) manner. An unprecedented phenomenon, that is, photoinduced nonlinear contraction (PINC), was observed during this conversion. The PINC is caused by conformational changes in the 3-CH₃-spy and bdc²⁻ ligands, the bending of metal–ligand bonds, and the local distortion of the paddle-wheel SBUs. The formation of a “wrinkle morphology” on the crystal surface after the photoreaction was observed by AFM. This PINC behavior can broaden the studies on materials expansion and offer a photodriven approach for the future design of supersensitive photomechanical actuators.     

Fundamental limits on the losses of phase and amplitude optical actuators

Amplitude and phase are the basic properties of all wave phenomena; as far as optical waves are concerned, the ability to act on these variables is at the root of a wealth of switching devices. To quantify the performance of an optical switching device, an essential aspect is to determine the tradeoff between the insertion loss and the amplitude or phase modulation depth. Here it is shown that every optical switching device is subject to such a tradeoff, intrinsically connected to the dielectric response of the materials employed inside the switching element itself. This limit finds its roots in fundamental physics, as it directly derives from Maxwell's equations for linear dielectrics, and is hence applicable to a wide class of optical components. Furthermore, a result is that concepts such as filtering, resonance, and critical coupling could be of advantage in approaching the limit.

     

基于MDARM和VxWorks的小型无人机执行器故障检测方法

由于目前在小型无人机执行器故障诊断中存在着智能化程度较低,容易受到人为因素干扰,从而出现故障漏检等问题,难以满足小型无人机对飞行安全的要求。为此,本文提出一种基于多维数据关联规则挖掘(Multidimensional Data Association Rules Mining: MDARM)和VxWorks操作系统的小型无人机执行器故障诊断方法,通过建立执行器内部传感器测量的温度、压力、流速、力矩等相关变量的历史数据库,并对这些数据进行预处理,以避免带来噪声污染,并利用可测量参数与不可测量参数之间的关联性,建立故障诊断知识库,避免了诊断过程中的人为因素干扰,实现小型无人机执行器故障的精准测量。实验结果证明,这种方法能够有效地提高故障准确率64.7%,对小型无人机执行器的智能诊提供有效指导,应用前景广阔。     

压电激励圆形曲梁的静态响应及位移控制

研究压电激励圆形曲梁的静态位移响应及位移控制的参数特性。将压电夹层圆形曲梁等效为单层结构,基于一维小曲率曲梁理论,建立其控制方程。在集中弯矩和径向集中力以及电载荷作用下,分析了带压电激励器的圆形悬臂曲梁的静态响应。与有限元结果比较表明:本文的理论模型能够模拟压电激励的小曲率圆形曲梁的静态响应。压电夹层圆形曲梁在任意位置的径向集中力载荷作用下,控制其自由端径向位移响应为零,求得控制电压的解析表达,数值分析表明:随着集中力载荷的位置变化和梁长的变化,最优控制电压将出现峰值和反号。     

On the dynamic electromechanical loading of dielectric elastomer membranes

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have received considerable attention recently due to large voltage-induced strains, which can be over 100%. Previously, a large deformation quasi-static model that describes the out-of-plane deformations of clamped diaphragms was derived. The numerical model results compare well with quasi-static experimental results for the same configuration. With relevance to dynamic applications, the time-varying response of initially planar dielectric elastomer membranes configured for out-of-plane deformations has not been reported until now. In this paper, an experimental investigation and analysis of the dynamic response of a dielectric elastomer membrane is reported. The experiments were conducted with prestretched DEAs fabricated from 0.5 mm thick polyacrylate films and carbon grease electrodes. The experiments covered the electromechanical spectrum by investigating membrane response due to (i) a time-varying voltage input and (ii) a time-varying pressure input, resulting in a combined electromechanical loading state in both cases. For the time-varying voltage experiments, the membrane had a prestretch of three and was passively inflated to various predetermined states, and then actuated. The pole strains incurred during the inflation were as high as 25.6%, corresponding to slightly less than a hemispherical state. On actuation, the membrane would inflate further, causing a maximum additional strain of 9.5%. For the time-varying pressure experiments, the prestretched membrane was inflated and deflated mechanically while a constant voltage was applied. The membrane was cycled between various predetermined inflation states, the largest of which was nearly hemispherical, which with an applied constant voltage of 3 kV corresponded to a maximum polar strain of 28%. The results from these experiments reveal that the response of the membrane is a departure from the classical dynamic response of continuum membrane structures. The dynamic response of the membrane is that of a damped system with specific deformation shapes reminiscent of the classical membrane mode shapes but without same-phase oscillation, that is to say all parts of the system do not pass through the equilibrium configuration at the same time. Of particular interest is the ability to excite these deformations through a varying electrical load at constant mechanical pressure.