Multi-functional extremely anisotropic structural element

Compliant structures have the capability to undergo large deformations without damage. For this reason, they represent an interesting solution for applications requiring shape adaptation. On the other hand, highly compliant directions in the structure can lead to large vibrations. The enhancement of the dissipation properties of these structures can prevent, or at least mitigate, the problem. This would result in systems offering an exceptional relation between the static and dynamic impedance. In this paper, a corrugated structure with adaptive damping properties is introduced. The structure relies on the double corrugation design, which offers high axial static compliance and extremely anisotropic static characteristics. In the dynamic regime, the vibration amplitude is reduced by exploiting the friction resulting from the electrostatic forces generated at the interfaces of a so-called electro-bonded laminate (EBL). A prototype of the enhanced corrugation is manufactured and tested. The dissipation properties of both the axial and the bending vibration modes are experimentally investigated. The results show that the dynamic structural response is significantly damped when a DC voltage is applied at the interface, thus highlighting the effectiveness of the used dissipation approach. Additionally, the applied voltage can be used as a tunable parameter to control the damping properties of the structures. The obtained adaptive system fulfills the dual function of providing highly anisotropic static compliance while introducing large adaptive dynamic impedance, thereby effectively decoupling the static and dynamic structural properties.