Solid-liquid composite structures: elastic beams with embedded liquid-filled parallel-channel networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a design framework for elastic beams with embedded liquid-filled channel networks, enabling controlled deformation and force elimination, advancing passive soft-robotic structures.

Contribution

It provides a continuous model linking network geometry to deformation, allowing for custom deformation fields and force compensation in solid-liquid composite beams.

Findings

Derived a continuous function relating network geometry to deformation

Demonstrated design of networks for arbitrary steady and dynamic deformations

Showed how to eliminate external force-induced deformation

Abstract

Deformation due to embedded fluidic networks is currently studied in the context of soft-actuators and soft-robotics. Expanding on this concept, beams can be designed so that the pressure in the channel-network is created directly from external forces acting on the beam, and thus can be viewed as passive solid-liquid composite structure. We obtain a continuous function relating the network geometry to the deformation. This enables design of networks creating arbitrary steady and time varying deformation-fields as well as to eliminate deformation created by external forces.