Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-27-2019

Publication Title

Advanced Intelligent Systems

Volume

1

Issue

4

First page number:

1

Last page number:

9

Abstract

Biomimicry is an approach in science and engineering to overcome human challenges by designing materials and systems modeled after nature. Selected applications of biomimicry include catheters, hearing devices, and artificial appendages such as arms, legs, and fingers. The inspiration for this study is the hydrofoil-like structured pectoral fin of the harbor porpoise whale that is ultimately useful for studying fluid-structure interactions, drag, lift, and laminar-to-turbulent transitions. The pectoral fin is fabricated by manipulating computed tomography (CT) scans into 3D models using Simpleware ScanIP and post-processed in Autodesk for printing. An array of thermally driven coiled polymer actuators (CPA) fabricated from nylon and heated with Nichrome are used as artificial muscles for the fabricated pectoral fin. The CPAs are of great interest due to its high specific power and large actuation stroke. The work discussed includes the fabrication of the fin (designing, printing, and assembly), the fabrication and testing of the CPAs, implementation of the CPAs, controlling, and actuation of the bio-inspired whale fin.

Controlled Subject

biomimicry; bioengineering; Automata

Disciplines

Biomechanical Engineering | Fluid Dynamics | Polymer and Organic Materials

File Format

PDF

File Size

1100 KB

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

UNLV article access

Search your library

Share

COinS