Electrothermally controlled origami fabricated by 4D printing of continuous fiber-reinforced composites

Electrothermally controlled origami fabricated by 4D printing of continuous fiber-reinforced composites

14 March 2024 | Yaohui Wang, Haitao Ye, Jian He, Qi Ge, Yi Xiong
This paper presents a novel method for fabricating electrothermally controlled origami using 4D printing of continuous fiber-reinforced composites. The incorporation of continuous carbon fibers (CCFs) enhances the mechanical performance and spatiotemporal controllability of the origami. By integrating CCFs into the shape memory polymer (SMP) matrix, the stiffness of the origami is significantly increased, reaching 2.3 GPa, which is 1000 times greater than pure SMP. The CCFs also improve the uniformity of thermal distribution at the hinges, facilitating precise control over the origami's deployment process. A multi-physics model is developed to simulate the shape memory behavior of the origami, allowing for the precise control of its configuration through manipulation of activation parameters. The proposed method is demonstrated in various applications, including a reconfigurable robot gripper, a mechanical-tunable Miura-origami unit, a programmable wing, and a combinatory digital architected material. These applications showcase the versatility and practical engineering potential of the electrothermally controlled origami.This paper presents a novel method for fabricating electrothermally controlled origami using 4D printing of continuous fiber-reinforced composites. The incorporation of continuous carbon fibers (CCFs) enhances the mechanical performance and spatiotemporal controllability of the origami. By integrating CCFs into the shape memory polymer (SMP) matrix, the stiffness of the origami is significantly increased, reaching 2.3 GPa, which is 1000 times greater than pure SMP. The CCFs also improve the uniformity of thermal distribution at the hinges, facilitating precise control over the origami's deployment process. A multi-physics model is developed to simulate the shape memory behavior of the origami, allowing for the precise control of its configuration through manipulation of activation parameters. The proposed method is demonstrated in various applications, including a reconfigurable robot gripper, a mechanical-tunable Miura-origami unit, a programmable wing, and a combinatory digital architected material. These applications showcase the versatility and practical engineering potential of the electrothermally controlled origami.
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