Additive Manufacturing of Smart Composite Structures Based on Flexinol Wires

Abstract

3D printing of a composite structure with shape memory materials requires a special approach to the subject, at the stage of the design and printing process. This paper presents the design steps during the development of a 3D-printed composite structure with shape memory material. The connection points between the SMA fibers and the printer filament are developed in the MATLAB environment. Finite element method is used to simulate the shortening of the shape memory material under the influence of temperature and its effect on the printed polymer material is presented. In the MATLAB environment, evolutionary algorithms were used to determine the shape of the SMA fiber alignment. This work demonstrates the use of shape memory effect in 3D printed smart composite structures, where the component takes a predetermined shape. The structure obtained as a result of such printing changes with the heat generated by the current voltage, making it the desired fourth dimension.