Science Daily August 9, 2018
Researchers in the UK have redesigned auxetic materials with smooth curves which distribute the forces and make repeated deformations possible. A major problem for materials exposed to harsh conditions, such as high temperature, is their expansion. The new material can be designed so its expansion properties continuously vary to match a gradient of temperature farther and closer to a heat source. It will be able to adjust itself naturally to repeated and severe changes. The work lays the basis for designs of lightweight 3D supports, which also fold in specific ways and store energy which could be released on demand. The new materials start replacing devices and robots as all the smart functionality is embedded in the material and designing in energy-efficient gripping tools, re-configurable shape-on-demand materials, and even lattices with unique thermal expansion behaviour… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
The ratcheting building block that could be embedded in the new materials. After vertical compression, it keeps materials collapsed, and can release their energy on side-ways pull. Credit: Stoyan Smoukov