Viscoelastic Damping via 3D Printed Liquid Infill
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current damping materials for robots are limited by their availability only in bulk or molded forms, requiring manual fabrication and restricting control over material properties, which hinders their ability to effectively absorb vibrations and impacts in various robotic applications.
Innovation Solution
A method of forming structures with viscoelastic properties by depositing layers of solidifying and non-solidifying materials using an occupancy matrix, allowing for customizable mechanical properties through 3D printing, enabling the creation of materials with specified storage modulus, loss modulus, and tangent delta values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If damping materials are used in bulk or molded form, then they provide vibration absorption and impact protection, but they require manual fabrication steps and restrict material property control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition parameters by varying the percentage of liquid infill (from 0% to 100%) within the 3D printed structure. This allows continuous adjustment of viscoelastic properties including storage modulus, loss modulus, and tangent delta, enabling precise control over damping characteristics while maintaining automated fabrication through additive manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite structures combining solid 3D printed material with liquid infill materials. The liquid portions remain unfilled or partially filled, creating a composite system where the solid framework provides structural integrity while the liquid portions contribute to viscoelastic damping properties, achieving both ease of manufacture and material property control
2Reliability
If current damping materials are used, then they provide impact protection and vibration isolation, but they require manual fabrication steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the liquid infill percentage in different regions of the damping structure. The occupancy matrix allows different zones to have different liquid concentrations (e.g., higher liquid content in impact-prone areas for maximum damping, lower liquid content in structural areas for integrity), achieving reliable impact protection while the entire structure is fabricated automatically through a single 3D printing process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical fabrication processes with automated 3D printing technology. The additive manufacturing system automatically deposits material layer by layer according to digital models, eliminating manual molding, assembly, and fabrication steps while maintaining or improving the reliability of impact protection through precise control over internal structure geometry
3Ease of manufacture
If homogeneous damping materials are used, then they are simple to manufacture, but they cannot provide graded viscoelastic properties for optimized performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by varying the liquid infill percentage across different regions of the damping structure. The occupancy matrix enables precise spatial control over material composition, creating graded viscoelastic properties where liquid-rich regions provide higher damping while liquid-poor regions maintain structural integrity, all achieved through automated 3D printing processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the damping structure into multiple voxels or small volumetric elements, each capable of having different liquid infill percentages. This segmentation allows the creation of functionally graded materials where properties change gradually or discontinuously across the structure, optimizing performance for specific loading conditions while maintaining manufacturability through digital design and automated fabrication
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for the rapid fabrication of materials with graded viscoelastic properties, enabling robots to absorb impacts and isolate vibrations effectively, as demonstrated by improved performance in impact tests and vibration isolation applications.
Implementation Method 1
exposing the droplets of solidifying material to ultraviolet radiation to cure the solidifying material
Data Source
AI summary
Described is a method of forming a structure having viscoelastic properties. The method can include a) depositing a layer of droplets of a solidifying material and a non-solidifying material, the droplets being deposited according to an occupancy matrix specifying voxels for the solidifying and non-solidifying materials, the solidifying and non-solidifying material being interspersed within the occupancy matrix, the occupancy matrix being generated by a probabilistic function; b) exposing the droplets of solidifying material to ultraviolet radiation to cure the solidifying material; and c) repeating a) and b) to deposit additional layers of droplets of solidifying and non-solidifying materials, thereby forming the structure having viscoelastic properties.