Disciplines
Mechanical Engineering
Abstract (300 words maximum)
In this research, we created supercoiled polymer with a nylon fishing line, conductive thread, silver paste, graphite, and graphene. The silver paste was used for conductive properties on crimping joints to allow electrical connections. Graphite and graphene help stimulate heat dissipation, resulting in quicker muscle motion, contraction, and elongation. Supercoiled polymer (polymer coil) actuators have many uses and are inexpensive compared to other actuators as they can be made of cheap materials such as sewing threads and fishing lines. Compared with recent actuators consist of memory shape alloys for their unique crystal structure, however they are expensive to produce, and more prone to failure . The actuator is very potent in contracting due to the polymer’s unique properties of remembering shape when exposed to heat. Though there are some restrictions, the elongation rate is limited by the lack of heat dissipation resulting in the deformation of the polymer to the loss of its original shape. To address that issue, we utilized graphite and graphene to stimulate heat dissipation and accelerate the motion of muscle, contraction, and elongation. Before testing, the polymer coils run at set voltages over a set cycle to help remember the cyclic motion, and accurate data can be collected. Our Goal for this research is to run at the set voltage and identify how the polymer behaves with weights attached until permanent deformation occurs. We used a solenoid to detect the coil's elongation change to measure how changing voltage and weights can affect it accurately.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
Department of Mechanical Engineer
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Jungkyu Park
Included in
Impacts of Thermally Conductive Coating on Super Coiled Polymers
In this research, we created supercoiled polymer with a nylon fishing line, conductive thread, silver paste, graphite, and graphene. The silver paste was used for conductive properties on crimping joints to allow electrical connections. Graphite and graphene help stimulate heat dissipation, resulting in quicker muscle motion, contraction, and elongation. Supercoiled polymer (polymer coil) actuators have many uses and are inexpensive compared to other actuators as they can be made of cheap materials such as sewing threads and fishing lines. Compared with recent actuators consist of memory shape alloys for their unique crystal structure, however they are expensive to produce, and more prone to failure . The actuator is very potent in contracting due to the polymer’s unique properties of remembering shape when exposed to heat. Though there are some restrictions, the elongation rate is limited by the lack of heat dissipation resulting in the deformation of the polymer to the loss of its original shape. To address that issue, we utilized graphite and graphene to stimulate heat dissipation and accelerate the motion of muscle, contraction, and elongation. Before testing, the polymer coils run at set voltages over a set cycle to help remember the cyclic motion, and accurate data can be collected. Our Goal for this research is to run at the set voltage and identify how the polymer behaves with weights attached until permanent deformation occurs. We used a solenoid to detect the coil's elongation change to measure how changing voltage and weights can affect it accurately.