Ge Dali, Duan Jiangtao, Bao Wu, Liang Haiyi
School of Civil Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, China.
IAT-Chungu Joint Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing, Institute of Advanced Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 241200, China.
Polymers (Basel). 2024 Dec 18;16(24):3520. doi: 10.3390/polym16243520.
In recent years, there have been many studies focused on improving the performance of active materials; however, applying these materials to active machines still presents significant challenges. In this study, we introduce a light-powered self-translation system for an asymmetric friction slider using a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) string oscillator. The self-translation system was composed of a hollow slide, two LCE fibers, and a mass ball. Through the evolution of photothermal-induced contraction, we derived the governing equations for the system. Numerical simulations revealed two distinct motion modes: the static mode and the self-translation mode. As the mass ball moved, the LCE fibers alternated between illuminated and non-illuminated states, allowing them to effectively harvest light energy to compensate for the energy dissipation within the system. Unlike traditional self-oscillating systems that oscillate around a fixed position, the asymmetric friction enabled the slider to advance continuously through the oscillator's symmetric self-sustained oscillation. Furthermore, we explored the critical conditions necessary for initiating self-translation as well as key system parameters that influence the frequency and amplitude of the oscillator and average speed of the slider. This self-translation system, with its simple design and ease of control, holds promising potential for applications in various fields including soft robotics, energy harvesting, and active machinery.
近年来,有许多研究致力于提高活性材料的性能;然而,将这些材料应用于有源机器仍然面临重大挑战。在本研究中,我们介绍了一种使用液晶弹性体(LCE)弦振荡器的非对称摩擦滑块的光驱动自平移系统。该自平移系统由一个空心滑块、两根LCE纤维和一个质量球组成。通过光热诱导收缩的演变,我们推导了该系统的控制方程。数值模拟揭示了两种不同的运动模式:静态模式和自平移模式。随着质量球的移动,LCE纤维在光照和非光照状态之间交替,使它们能够有效地收集光能以补偿系统内的能量耗散。与传统的在固定位置附近振荡的自振荡系统不同,非对称摩擦使滑块能够通过振荡器的对称自持振荡持续前进。此外,我们探索了启动自平移所需的临界条件以及影响振荡器频率和振幅以及滑块平均速度的关键系统参数。这种自平移系统设计简单且易于控制,在软机器人技术、能量收集和有源机械等各个领域具有广阔的应用前景。