🤖 AI Summary
This study addresses the challenge of designing three-dimensional pneumatic soft actuators capable of efficient bending performance under large deformations. The authors propose a novel 3D nonlinear topology optimization framework based on a porous hyperelastic constitutive model, which, for the first time, enables topology optimization to handle extreme deformations in soft actuator design. The method consistently accounts for both geometric and material nonlinearities while incorporating manufacturability constraints. Leveraging stereolithography-based 3D printing, numerical simulations, and experimental validation, two optimized actuators were fabricated and demonstrated significant bending responses under prescribed pneumatic pressure. The close agreement between experimental results and simulation predictions confirms the effectiveness and advancement of the proposed approach.
📝 Abstract
This paper demonstrates the computational design of soft elastomeric pneumatic actuators using nonlinear topology optimization. An existing density- and porohyperelasticity-based topology optimization framework was extended from 2D to 3D and used to generate two manufacturable actuator designs, which were then studied numerically and experimentally. For both designs, the objective was to maximize the bending response for a prescribed actuation pressure under two different allowable strain limits. A key advantage of the employed topology optimization framework is that it can consistently, during the optimization, account for the very large deformations induced upon pressurization. The two optimized 3D designs were fabricated using stereolithography and experimentally tested to validate their performance.