A FEM-Experimental Approach for the Development of a Conceptual Linear Actuator Based on Tendril’s Free Coiling
Within the vastness of the plant species, certain living systems show tendril structures whose motion is of particular interest for biomimetic engineers. Tendrils sense and coil around suitable grips, and by shortening in length, they erect the remaining plant body. To achieve contraction, tendrils...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2017-01-01
|
| Series: | Applied Bionics and Biomechanics |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/6450949 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850166817267384320 |
|---|---|
| author | Luca Cortese Selena Milanovic Renato Vidoni |
| author_facet | Luca Cortese Selena Milanovic Renato Vidoni |
| author_sort | Luca Cortese |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Within the vastness of the plant species, certain living systems show tendril structures whose motion is of particular interest for biomimetic engineers. Tendrils sense and coil around suitable grips, and by shortening in length, they erect the remaining plant body. To achieve contraction, tendrils rotate along their main axis and shift from a linear to a double-spring geometry. This phenomenon is denoted as the free-coiling phase. In this work, with the aim of understanding the fundamentals of the mechanics behind the free coiling, a reverse-engineering approach based on the finite element method was firstly applied. The model consisted of an elongated cylinder with suitable material properties, boundary, and loading conditions, in order to reproduce the kinematics of the tendril. The simulation succeeded in mimicking coiling faithfully and was therefore used to validate a tentative linear actuator model based on the plant’s working principle. More in detail, exploiting shape memory alloy materials to obtain large reversible deformations, the main tendril features were implemented into a nickel-titanium spring-based testing model. The results of the experimental tests confirmed the feasibility of the idea in terms of both functioning principles and actual performance. It can be concluded that the final set-up can be used as a base for a prototype design of a new kind of a linear actuator. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d8bae7bf7b6e45818d3395be067e6945 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1176-2322 1754-2103 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Bionics and Biomechanics |
| spelling | doaj-art-d8bae7bf7b6e45818d3395be067e69452025-08-20T02:21:20ZengWileyApplied Bionics and Biomechanics1176-23221754-21032017-01-01201710.1155/2017/64509496450949A FEM-Experimental Approach for the Development of a Conceptual Linear Actuator Based on Tendril’s Free CoilingLuca Cortese0Selena Milanovic1Renato Vidoni2Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100 Bolzano, ItalyFaculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100 Bolzano, ItalyFaculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100 Bolzano, ItalyWithin the vastness of the plant species, certain living systems show tendril structures whose motion is of particular interest for biomimetic engineers. Tendrils sense and coil around suitable grips, and by shortening in length, they erect the remaining plant body. To achieve contraction, tendrils rotate along their main axis and shift from a linear to a double-spring geometry. This phenomenon is denoted as the free-coiling phase. In this work, with the aim of understanding the fundamentals of the mechanics behind the free coiling, a reverse-engineering approach based on the finite element method was firstly applied. The model consisted of an elongated cylinder with suitable material properties, boundary, and loading conditions, in order to reproduce the kinematics of the tendril. The simulation succeeded in mimicking coiling faithfully and was therefore used to validate a tentative linear actuator model based on the plant’s working principle. More in detail, exploiting shape memory alloy materials to obtain large reversible deformations, the main tendril features were implemented into a nickel-titanium spring-based testing model. The results of the experimental tests confirmed the feasibility of the idea in terms of both functioning principles and actual performance. It can be concluded that the final set-up can be used as a base for a prototype design of a new kind of a linear actuator.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/6450949 |
| spellingShingle | Luca Cortese Selena Milanovic Renato Vidoni A FEM-Experimental Approach for the Development of a Conceptual Linear Actuator Based on Tendril’s Free Coiling Applied Bionics and Biomechanics |
| title | A FEM-Experimental Approach for the Development of a Conceptual Linear Actuator Based on Tendril’s Free Coiling |
| title_full | A FEM-Experimental Approach for the Development of a Conceptual Linear Actuator Based on Tendril’s Free Coiling |
| title_fullStr | A FEM-Experimental Approach for the Development of a Conceptual Linear Actuator Based on Tendril’s Free Coiling |
| title_full_unstemmed | A FEM-Experimental Approach for the Development of a Conceptual Linear Actuator Based on Tendril’s Free Coiling |
| title_short | A FEM-Experimental Approach for the Development of a Conceptual Linear Actuator Based on Tendril’s Free Coiling |
| title_sort | fem experimental approach for the development of a conceptual linear actuator based on tendril s free coiling |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/6450949 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lucacortese afemexperimentalapproachforthedevelopmentofaconceptuallinearactuatorbasedontendrilsfreecoiling AT selenamilanovic afemexperimentalapproachforthedevelopmentofaconceptuallinearactuatorbasedontendrilsfreecoiling AT renatovidoni afemexperimentalapproachforthedevelopmentofaconceptuallinearactuatorbasedontendrilsfreecoiling AT lucacortese femexperimentalapproachforthedevelopmentofaconceptuallinearactuatorbasedontendrilsfreecoiling AT selenamilanovic femexperimentalapproachforthedevelopmentofaconceptuallinearactuatorbasedontendrilsfreecoiling AT renatovidoni femexperimentalapproachforthedevelopmentofaconceptuallinearactuatorbasedontendrilsfreecoiling |