Experimental Study of Orthogonal Bistable Laminated Composite Shell Driven by Magnetorheological Elastomer

Abstract In this study, a novel orthogonal bistable laminated composite shell driven by magnetorheological elastomer was developed. The magnetorheological elastomer served as the actuator of the stable transition between the two stable states of the bistable structure is rapid, reversible, non-contact and continuously controllable. The experimental results revealed that the trigger time of the stable transition can reach millisecond level. First, the magnetorheological elastomer and orthogonal bistable laminated composite shell were fabricated. Then, experiments and finite element simulations were conducted to measure the trigger force required to actuate the transition of the bistable structure. The experimentally measured trigger force agreed well with that estimated by the finite element simulation. The shape characteristics of the orthogonal bistable laminated composite shell were studied both in the presence and absence of the magnetorheological elastomer. The effect of the NdFeB content in the magnetorheological elastomer on the magnet field strength required to drive the transformation of the bistable structure was studied systematically, and a suitable magnetorheological elastomer was chosen to investigate the effects of the geometric dimensions of the magnetorheological elastomer actuator on the trigger magnetic field. The response time for the triggering of the transition of the bistable structure was measured, and the results indicated that the proposed magnetorheological elastomer actuation could be used to flexibly drive orthogonal bistable laminated composite shells.