Rapid prototyping (RP) is a direct-writing technology that offers several advantages over subtractive manufacturing processing, including low material consumption and easy customizability. Recently, this technique has been studied not only manufacture production parts but also electronic manufacturing applications. In this research, the design and manufacture of printed circuits using RP printing of lead-based alloy having low melting temperature were performed. The bonding strength was measured by strength test. Average bonding strength between solder and universal printed circuit board (PCB) was 69.5 kPa. A simple electrical circuit with five crossing points was constructed to reduce the size of the circuit. In the crossing points, polycaprolactone (PCL) was deposited between top and bottom interconnects to insulate the printed line. Through this process, the size of the circuit board can be reduced about 34% and the number of processing steps was decreased.
Shape memory alloys have been actively studied in various fields in an attempt to utilize their high energy density. In particular, shape memory alloy wire-embedded composites can be used as load-bearing smart actuators without any additional manipulation, in which they act like a hinge joint. A shape memory alloy wire-embedded composite is able to generate various deformation behaviors via the combination of its shape memory alloy and matrix materials. Accordingly, a study of the various design parameters of shape memory alloy wire-embedded composites is required to facilitate the practical application of smart structures. In this research, a numerical simulation of a shape memory alloy wire-embedded composite is used to investigate the deformation behavior of a composite panel as a function of the composite width per shape memory alloy wire, composite thickness, and the eccentricity of the shape memory alloy wire. A curved morphing composite structure is fabricated to confirm the results of the numerical simulation. The deformation of the shape memory alloy wire-embedded composite panel is determined by measuring its radius of curvature. The simulated deformation behaviors are verified with the experimental results. In addition, an analysis of the deformation and internal stress of the composites is carried out. It can be used to obtain guidelines for the mechanical design of shape memory alloy wire-embedded composite panels.
The large recovery force and non-linear deformation behaviour resulting from a change in the temperature in shape-memory alloys (SMAs) make them attractive materials for applications in smart materials and structures, as well as actuators. However, SMAs are limited in their application because they cannot support general loads such as bending or compression. SMA wire-embedded composite materials, where materials such as glass fibre reinforced plastics (GFRPs) are combined with SMAs, are proposed to overcome these limitations. However, the increased stiffness of GFRPs limits the deformation that can be achieved. The inclusion of more compliant materials, such as silicon rubber, into the matrix can improve the achievable deformation, and the characteristics of the resulting hybrid composite can be controlled by varying the conformation of the material. In this study, a numerical simulation method was developed to predict the deformation behaviour of SMA wire-embedded hybrid composites. To verify the simulation procedure, several conformations of SMA wire-embedded hybrid composites were fabricated, and their deformation behaviours were compared with the simulation results. The simulation was then used to achieve a favourable trade-off between the stiffness and the achievable deformation of the structure.
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