Parallel Singularities for the Design of Softening Springs Using Compliant Mechanisms

Author(s):  
Quentin Boehler ◽  
Marc Vedrines ◽  
Salih Abdelaziz ◽  
Philippe Poignet ◽  
Pierre Renaud

In this paper, the design of nonlinear softening springs using compliant mechanisms is investigated. The use of compliant structures is of great interest, because of the resulting absence of backlash and friction. We demonstrate that the existence of parallel singularities is a necessary condition for the architecture of a compliant softening spring. From this result, two original arrangements of softening springs are derived, with the introduction of traction and torsion softening springs. A synthesis is performed and the traction spring is numerically and experimentally assessed. As nonlinearity can also be obtained from material properties, the interest of using additive manufacturing with multi-material capability is investigated. Rubber-like materials exhibit a hyper-elastic behavior. Their integration in the proposed compliant architecture is shown to be of interest to customize the geometry of a softening spring according to the designer requirements.

2015 ◽  
Vol 654 ◽  
pp. 261-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Pascall ◽  
Jeronimo Mora ◽  
Julie A. Jackson ◽  
Joshua D. Kuntz

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) has traditionally been viewed as a thin film deposition technique for coating conductive surfaces. Recently, there have been reports of producing functional parts with EPD to near net shape, often containing gradients in material properties normal to the conductive deposition surface. By using reconfigurable electrode systems, a few researchers have gone beyond purely out-of-plane gradients and demonstrated gradients in material properties in the plane of the deposition electrode, a necessary condition for 3D additive manufacturing. In this work, we build upon a previously published technique called light directed electrophoretic deposition (LD-EPD) in which the deposition electrode is photoconductive and can be activated with light, leading to a patterned deposit. Here, we demonstrate that the LD-EPD technique can also lead to patterned deposits on any conductive surface by utilizing the photoconductive electrode as the counter electrode. This eliminates several issues with standard LD-EPD by allowing the potentially expensive photoconductive electrode to be reused, as well as mitigates post-processing material compatibility issues by allowing deposition on any conductive surface. We also detail the results of a finite element simulation of the deposition process in LD-EPD systems that captures key features seen experimentally in the final deposit.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 830
Author(s):  
Sina Rößler ◽  
Andreas Brückner ◽  
Iris Kruppke ◽  
Hans-Peter Wiesmann ◽  
Thomas Hanke ◽  
...  

Today, materials designed for bone regeneration are requested to be degradable and resorbable, bioactive, porous, and osteoconductive, as well as to be an active player in the bone-remodeling process. Multiphasic silica/collagen Xerogels were shown, earlier, to meet these requirements. The aim of the present study was to use these excellent material properties of silica/collagen Xerogels and to process them by additive manufacturing, in this case 3D plotting, to generate implants matching patient specific shapes of fractures or lesions. The concept is to have Xerogel granules as active major components embedded, to a large proportion, in a matrix that binds the granules in the scaffold. By using viscoelastic alginate as matrix, pastes of Xerogel granules were processed via 3D plotting. Moreover, alginate concentration was shown to be the key to a high content of irregularly shaped Xerogel granules embedded in a minimum of matrix phase. Both the alginate matrix and Xerogel granules were also shown to influence viscoelastic behavior of the paste, as well as the dimensionally stability of the scaffolds. In conclusion, 3D plotting of Xerogel granules was successfully established by using viscoelastic properties of alginate as matrix phase.


2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (18) ◽  
pp. 10707-10744
Author(s):  
Jonathan Torres ◽  
Ali P. Gordon

AbstractThe small punch test (SPT) was developed for situations where source material is scarce, costly or otherwise difficult to acquire, and has been used for assessing components with variable, location-dependent material properties. Although lacking standardization, the SPT has been employed to assess material properties and verified using traditional testing. Several methods exist for equating SPT results with traditional stress–strain data. There are, however, areas of weakness, such as fracture and fatigue approaches. This document outlines the history and methodologies of SPT, reviewing the body of contemporary literature and presenting relevant findings and formulations for correlating SPT results with conventional tests. Analysis of literature is extended to evaluating the suitability of the SPT for use with additively manufactured (AM) materials. The suitability of this approach is shown through a parametric study using an approximation of the SPT via FEA, varying material properties as would be seen with varying AM process parameters. Equations describing the relationship between SPT results and conventional testing data are presented. Correlation constants dictating these relationships are determined using an accumulation of data from the literature reviewed here, along with novel experimental data. This includes AM materials to assess the fit of these and provide context for a wider view of the methodology and its interest to materials science and additive manufacturing. A case is made for the continued development of the small punch test, identifying strengths and knowledge gaps, showing need for standardization of this simple yet highly versatile method for expediting studies of material properties and optimization.


Author(s):  
Jivtesh Khurana ◽  
Bradley Hanks ◽  
Mary Frecker

With growing interest in metal additive manufacturing, one area of interest for design for additive manufacturing is the ability to understand how part geometry combined with the manufacturing process will affect part performance. In addition, many researchers are pursuing design for additive manufacturing with the goal of generating designs for stiff and lightweight applications as opposed to tailored compliance. A compliant mechanism has unique advantages over traditional mechanisms but previously, complex 3D compliant mechanisms have been limited by manufacturability. Recent advances in additive manufacturing enable fabrication of more complex and 3D metal compliant mechanisms, an area of research that is relatively unexplored. In this paper, a design for additive manufacturing workflow is proposed that incorporates feedback to a designer on both the structural performance and manufacturability. Specifically, a cellular contact-aided compliant mechanism for energy absorption is used as a test problem. Insights gained from finite element simulations of the energy absorbed as well as the thermal history from an AM build simulation are used to further refine the design. Using the proposed workflow, several trends on the performance and manufacturability of the test problem are determined and used to redesign the compliant unit cell. When compared to a preliminary unit cell design, a redesigned unit cell showed decreased energy absorption capacity of only 7.8% while decreasing thermal distortion by 20%. The workflow presented provides a systematic approach to inform a designer about methods to redesign an AM part.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mevlüt Yunus Kayacan ◽  
Nihat Yılmaz

Abstract Among additive manufacturing technologies, Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is considered the most widespread layer-by-layer process. Although the L-PBF, which is also called as SLM method, has many advantages, several challenging problems must be overcome, including part positioning issues. In this study, the effect of part positioning on the microstructure of the part in the L-PBF method was investigated. Five Ti6Al4V samples were printed in different positions on the building platform and investigated with the aid of temperature, porosity, microstructure and hardness evaluations. In this study, martensitic needles were detected within the microstructure of Ti6Al4V samples. Furthermore, some twins were noticed on primary martensitic lines and the agglomeration of β precipitates was observed in vanadium rich areas. The positioning conditions of samples were revealed to have a strong effect on temperature gradients and on the average size of martensitic lines. Besides, different hardness values were attained depending on sample positioning conditions. As a major result, cooling rates were found related to positions of samples and the location of point on the samples. Higher cooling rates and repetitive cooling cycles resulted in microstructures becoming finer and harder.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Conner Sharpe ◽  
Carolyn Seepersad

Abstract Advances in additive manufacturing techniques have enabled the production of parts with complex internal geometries. However, the layer-based nature of additive processes often results in mechanical properties that vary based on the orientation of the feature relative to the build plane. Lattice structures have been a popular design application for additive manufacturing due to their potential uses in lightweight structural applications. Many recent works have explored the modeling, design, and fabrication challenges that arise in the multiscale setting of lattice structures. However, there remains a significant challenge in bridging the simplified computational models used in the design process and the more complex properties actually realized in fabrication. This work develops a design approach that captures orientation-dependent material properties that have been observed in metal AM processes while remaining suitable for use in an iterative design process. Exemplar problems are utilized to investigate the potential design changes and performance improvements that can be attained by taking the directional dependence of the manufacturing process into account in the design of lattice structures.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Ángel Caminero ◽  
Ana Romero ◽  
Jesús Miguel Chacón ◽  
Pedro José Núñez ◽  
Eustaquio García-Plaza ◽  
...  

Purpose Fused filament fabrication (FFF) technique using metal filled filaments in combination with debinding and sintering steps can be a cost-effective alternative for laser-based powder bed fusion processes. The mechanical behaviour of FFF-metal materials is highly dependent on the processing parameters, filament quality and adjusted post-processing steps. In addition, the microstructural material properties and geometric characteristics are inherent to the manufacturing process. The purpose of this study is to characterize the mechanical and geometric performance of three-dimensional (3-D) printed FFF 316 L metal components manufactured by a low-cost desktop 3-D printer. The debinding and sintering processes are carried out using the BASF catalytic debinding process in combination with the BASF 316LX Ultrafuse filament. Special attention is paid on the effects of build orientation and printing strategy of the FFF-based technology on the tensile and geometric performance of the 3-D printed 316 L metal specimens. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a toolset of experimental analysis techniques [metallography and scanning electron microcope (SEM)] to characterize the effect of microstructure and defects on the material properties under tensile testing. Shrinkage and the resulting porosity of the 3-D printed 316 L stainless steel sintered samples are also analysed. The deformation behaviour is investigated for three different build orientations. The tensile test curves are further correlated with the damage surface using SEM images and metallographic sections to present grain deformation during the loading progress. Mechanical properties are directly compared to other works in the field and similar additive manufacturing (AM) and Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) manufacturing alternatives from the literature. Findings It has been shown that the effect of build orientation was of particular significance on the mechanical and geometric performance of FFF-metal 3-D printed samples. In particular, Flat and On-edge samples showed an average increase in tensile performance of 21.7% for the tensile strength, 65.1% for the tensile stiffness and 118.3% for maximum elongation at fracture compared to the Upright samples. Furthermore, it has been able to manufacture near-dense 316 L austenitic stainless steel components using FFF. These properties are comparable to those obtained by other metal conventional processes such as MIM process. Originality/value 316L austenitic stainless steel components using FFF technology with a porosity lower than 2% were successfully manufactured. The presented study provides more information regarding the dependence of the mechanical, microstructural and geometric properties of FFF 316 L components on the build orientation and printing strategy.


Author(s):  
Kengo Aizawa ◽  
Masahiro Ueda ◽  
Teppei Shimada ◽  
Hideki Aoyama ◽  
Kazuo Yamazaki

Abstract Laser metal deposition (LMD) is an additive manufacturing technique, whose performance can be influenced by a considerable number of factors and parameters. Typically, a powder is carried by an inert gas and sprayed by a nozzle, with a coaxial laser beam passing through the nozzle and overlapping the powder flow, thereby generating a molten material pool on a substrate. Monitoring the evolution of this process allows for a better comprehension and control of the process, thereby enhancing the deposition quality. As the metal additive manufacturing mechanism has not yet been elucidated, it is not clear how process parameters affect material properties, molding accuracy, and molding efficiency. When cladding is performed under uncertain conditions, a molded part with poor material properties and dimensional accuracy is created. In this paper, we propose a method for high efficiency molding by controlling the distance between the head nozzle and the molten pool in real time. The distance is identified by an originally developed sensor based on a triangulation method. According to the distance, the head nozzle is automatically controlled into the optimum position. As a result, an ideal molding process can be generated, so that high efficiency molding and high-quality material properties can be obtained. Experimental results show that continuing deposition at the optimum distance assists in achieving deposition efficiency and dimensional accuracy. According to the specific experimental results of this method, the modeling efficiency was increased by 27% compared to the method without correction, and the modeling was successful with an error within 1 mm.


2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (S4) ◽  
pp. E2028-E2035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sepideh Zoghi ◽  
Ghasem Naderi ◽  
Shirin Shokoohi

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