Flexural Models for Vacuum-Packed Particles as a Variable-Stiffness Mechanism in Smart Structures

Vacuum-packed particle (VPP) systems have been recently used in the development of smart structures due to their ability to actively change material stiffness through the mechanism of granular jamming. By altering the strength of the vacuum pressure applied to the particles, the material can be proportionally and reversibly transitioned from a liquidlike low-stiffness state to a stiff state. The ability to control material stiffness in this way opens up different possibilities for the design of morphing and smart structures by allowing them to soften during deformation to reduce actuation energy requirements and to then stiffen once the desired shape has been achieved to provide a zero-energy holding mechanism. The following research describes two useful models that predict the mechanical response of VPP beams under flexural loading. Firstly, four-point bending tests with digital image correlation strain mapping are performed in order to measure the axial and transverse strains in a bending beam made from vacuum-packed particles. The test results show a nonlinear mechanical response, including a change in beam thickness with deformation, that motivated an analytical model of the structure incorporating a nonlinear material stress model based on the Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope. In addition, finite-element simulations are implemented using a Johnson-Cook model extension to predict the response under loading of three-dimensional beam elements at different vacuum pressure levels. Lastly, the models are compared to the experimental results, indicating good agreement. Both methods are shown to be useful for predicting the variation of stiffness of vacuum-packed particle beams.