Thermally induced deformations in multi-layered polymeric struts
Stimulus activated structures that deform from a reference to target configurations are used in various fields such as soft robotics, smart materials, and actuators. In this work we introduce a framework that captures the non-linear response of multi-layer polymeric beams subjected to thermo-mechanical loading. We show that the exploitation of the glass transition temperature can lead to a wide variety of interesting responses. Our findings provide guideline for an efficient design of shape-morphing structures capable of polymorphism.
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