Generalized curvature tailoring of bistable CFRP laminates by curing on a cylindrical tool-plate with misalignment

Elasticity and stability of shape-shifting structures

“…There have been demonstrations of actuating snapthrough instabilities for just about every conceivable mechanical and non-mechanical stimulus, including temperature [84], light [85], acoustic excitation [86,87], elastomer or gel swelling [88,89,90,12], magnetic fields [91,92], fluid flow [93], surface tension or elastocapillarity [94], and electrical current with materials that include from ceramic (piezoelectric) [95,96], metallic (electrostatic) [97,98], and rubber (dielectric elastomers) [99,100,23,101]. Laminated composites of epoxy and carbon fiber or fiber glass may exhibit bistability or multistability while thermally curing [102,103,104,105]. Depending on the fiber orientation, the presence of the fiber embedded in the epoxy matrix may give these materials an orthotropic response, thus providing design criteria for the orientation of the stimulus chosen to induce snapping [24].…”

A novel negative stiffness metamaterials: discrete assembly and enhanced design capabilities

“…However, the mechanical performance of a unit laminate is poor, so researchers have proposed various strategies to improve its mechanical properties [38][39][40]. One of these strategies is to adjust the initial curing curvature of the laminate to improve its mechanical performance and reduce the difficulty of structural design [41]. Ryu et al [42] investigated the influence of the initial curing curvature on the stable configuration and curvature of asymmetric laminates.…”

3D printing of twisting and rotational bistable structures with tuning elements

“…A bistable structure is one that supports two stable states. Such bistability has been studied in strained bilayers 4–6 , origami-based structures 7–9 , and compliant mechanisms 10–13 . Bistability exists in nature too 14,15 .…”