J. Mech. Des 141(7), 071402
doi: 10.1115/1.4042617
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Dawei Li, Ning Dai, Yunlong Tang, Guoying Dong, and Yaoyao Fiona Zhao J. Mech. Des 141(7), 071402 doi: 10.1115/1.4042617 Periodic cellular structures with excellent mechanical properties widely exist in nature. Examples include shark skin, bone structure, etc. This research introduces a generative design and optimization method for triply periodic level surface (TPLS)-based functionally graded cellular structures. In the proposed method, the density distribution is controlled so that the TPLS-based cellular structures can achieve better structural or thermal performances without increasing the weight of the structure. A series of different design specifications are used for validating the design and optimization methods introduced in this work. Effectiveness and robustness of the obtained structures are analyzed using both finite element analysis and experiments. Results from these studies show that the functional gradient cellular structure is much stiffer and has better heat conductivity than the uniform cellular structure. Full full article please see ASME's Digital Collection.
Discovering Sequenced Origami Folding Through Nonlinear Mechanics and Topology Optimization3/25/2019
Andrew S. Gillman; Kazuko Fuchi; Philip R. Buskohl J. Mech. Des. 141(4), 041401 (Jan 11, 2019) doi: 10.1115/1.4041782 Origami, the ancient art of paper folding, is finding numerous uses in scientific and engineering applications because of the combined advances in mathematics, computer science, and computational geometry. From deployment of solar arrays and antennas to design of robots and modeling of protein folding, origami provides an efficient means of compaction and coordinated motion. Many of the design and analysis tools for origami have relied on both rigid body mechanics and adaptation of well-known fold patterns for engineering applications. This work expands on these approaches through development of an automated design tool for fold pattern discovery, while accounting for non-rigid (deformable) facets through a novel nonlinear mechanics model. The nonlinearity presents challenges for finding the optimal design, and we employ an evolutionary algorithm for navigating this complex design space. With this framework, fold patterns satisfying targeted motions can be identified automatically and thus enables discovery of fold patterns designed specifically for engineering applications. For the full article please see ASME's Digital Connection.
The synthesis of functional molecular mechanisms is constrained by the notorious difficulties in fabricating nano-links of prescribed shapes and sizes. Thus, the classical mechanism synthesis methods, which assume the ability to manufacture any designed links, cannot provide a systematic process for designing molecular mechanisms. We propose a new approach to build functional mechanisms with prescribed mobility by only using elements from a predefined "link soup". The resulting synthesis procedure is the first of its kind that is capable of systematically synthesizing functional linkages with prescribed mobility constructed from a soup of primitive entities. Furthermore, the proposed systematic approach outputs the ATLAS of candidate mechanisms, which can be further processed for downstream applications. Although the scope of this technique is rather general, its immediate application is the design of molecular machines assembled from nano-links that either exist in nature or can be fabricated. For the Full Research Paper see ASME's Digital Collection.
Gwang Kim, Yunjung Kwon, Eun Suk Suh and Jaemyung Ahn J. Mech. Des 138(7), 07140; doi: 10.1115/1.4033504 This paper proposes a framework to analyze the architectural complexity of systems developed with a product family. A product family is a set of products that are derived from common sets of parts, interfaces, and processes, known as the product platform. Through the use of product platforms, several variations of products can be developed in a short period of time with relatively low-engineering costs to capture market share in niche market segments as the demand arises. This work can be used in a variety of ways to guide product platform and variant architecture development during the initial concept generation stage. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated through a case study of a train bogie platform. The process starts with building the design structure matrix (DSM) model, which captures the structural architecture as well as mass, energy, and information flow, for the product platform and its variants. Using the DSMs created and the selected complexity metric, the architectural complexity, which includes the structural complexity and flow complexity values, is assessed. Based on the quantitative results obtained, the overall complexity for the product platform and the product family could be compared with other competing product platform architecture and product family concepts. Furthermore, this process also allows system architects and decision makers to manage overall complexity of an entire product family, either through complexity minimization or by designing the entire platform and product architecture to be less sensitive to engineering changes in terms of complexity fluctuation. For the Full Research Paper see ASME's Digital Collection.
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FEATURESThis section includes brief descriptions of articles soon to be or recently published by the Journal of Mechanical Design. These featured articles highlight recent research developments and emerging trends in mechanical design. For Abstracts and Full Articles please see ASME's Digital Collection. Archives
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