smart materials essay

• © 2022

Smart Materials

Considerations on Earth and in Space

• Lenore Rasmussen 0

Ras Labs, Inc., Boston, USA

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• Broadens readers’ understanding of the state-of-the-art advances in smart materials
• Equips readers to handle the complex challenges of smart materials, actuation, robotics, and humanity on Earth and in space
• Provides insights into electroactive sensors and soft robotics as well as biomimetic designs and functions inspired by nature

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

Front matter, synthetic muscle™ for deep space travel and other applications on earth and in space.

• Lenore Rasmussen, Peter N. Vicars, Calum R. Briggs, Tianyu Cheng, Margot Meredith, Leila N. Albers et al.

Q&A with NASA Astronaut Yvonne Cagle, MD Moon and Mars Missions RBE 533 “Smart Materials, Actuation, and Biomimicry,” Worcester Polytechnic Institute on October 8, 2019

• Yvonne Cagle

Shape Control of Large Lightweight Mirrors with Dielectric Elastomer Actuation

• R. D. Kornbluh, D. S. Flamm, H. Prahlad, K. M. Nashold, S. Chhokar, R. Pelrine et al.

The Hydro Muscle and CRFC Valve: An Efficient and Compact Fluidic Robotic System

• Marko Popovic, Shannon Moffat, Julia D’Agostino, Ellie Clarrissimeaux, Eric Carkin, Matthew Bowers

Contractile Pneumatic Artificial Muscle Generates Extension by Actuating an Integrated Pushrod

• Norman M. Wereley, Erica G. Hocking, Benjamin K. S. Woods, Curt S. Kothera

Soft Pneumatic Actuators: Modeling, Control, and Application

• Erik Howard Skorina, Cagdas D. Onal

Active Thermal Control of Satellites with Electroactive Materials

• Frédéric Vidal, Gwendoline Petroffe, Layla Beouch, Sophie Cantin, Claude Chevrot, Pierre-Henri Aubert et al.

Back Matter

• Artificial Muscle
• Biomimetic Design
• Dielectric Elastomer
• Electroactive Polymer
• Electroactivity
• Ionic Polymer Metal Composite
• Polymeric Materials
• Synthetic Muscle

Lenore Rasmussen

Book Title : Smart Materials

Book Subtitle : Considerations on Earth and in Space

Editors : Lenore Rasmussen

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70514-5

Publisher : Springer Cham

eBook Packages : Chemistry and Materials Science , Chemistry and Material Science (R0)

Copyright Information : Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

Hardcover ISBN : 978-3-030-70512-1 Published: 24 September 2021

eBook ISBN : 978-3-030-70514-5 Published: 23 September 2021

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XII, 260

Number of Illustrations : 209 b/w illustrations

Topics : Ceramics, Glass, Composites, Natural Materials , Polymer Sciences , Optical and Electronic Materials , Biomaterials

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The everyday life of human beings is influenced by their current surrounding. Matters regarding Transportation, housing, clothing, communication, recreation, and food production play a big role in human culture and their environs. The earliest humans had access to only a very limited number of materials, those that occur naturally: stone, wood, clay, skins, and so on however with the improvement of technology man has evolved from the Stone Age to metal, plastics the composite ages. The turn of the 21 st century nonethelessushered in the smart materials era. By definition, smart materials are materials that react relative to their environments in anopportunefashion. This paper is set to explain the concept the behaviour of materials in specific applications in respect to materials science and materials engineering. The discussion in this paper is about ‘Smart materials’ which for some time have been regarded as materials of the future however some like ‘ Piezoelectric materials’ have become the breakthrough material in engineering. Piezoelectric materials are derived from the effect of piezoelectriceffect that naturally occur in crystals in nature and mechanically engineered on polymers to create new elements that have given rise to new and effective items in the daily lives of human beings

Key words : Smart material, materials science, materials engineering, piezoelectric materials, piezoelectric effect

  Smart Material (Piezoelectric Materials)

Introduction

William D. Callister, Jr’s book ‘ Materials Science and Engineering’ seventh edition introductory phase starts with the photo of the different types of Coke beverage bottles. The image portrays a familiar piece that is fashioned from three unlike materials created the drinks container. Beverage storage containers have been made out of aluminum cans(metal), glass (ceramic), and plastic (polymer).This quickly shows the changes in the use of different materials in generating different designs and providing viable alternatives. This by definition therefor explains “ materials science ” which is explained as the understanding of the relationships between the structures as well as properties of materials (Schwartz, 2002, p.8). Since its early stages, materials science has experienced a progressive evolution.This is evident from the usage of inert structural materials to materials fashioned for a specific purpose, to adaptive materials.

Current material evolution has led to the creation of smart materials which are engineered to not just as specific function but stimuli recognition, discrimination as well as reaction capabilities. Consequently the introduction of new construction or creative material also influences its design and structure. Through imagery Callister shows evolution by use ofmetal cans, to that of glass in design of the beverage bottle, which is dissimilar to that of the plastic design. From this one can derive the definition of    “ materials engineering ” which is defined as the structure property associations, designing or engineering the structure of a material to create a predetermined novel usable item (p.9). Currently the world is going through a material evolution progressively, a new age known as ‘ smart materials era’ .

According to Callister’s functional outlook, thebiggest part played by materials scientist is to create or manufacture novel materials, whilethe roles played by  materials engineer is called upon to use the novel material to create innovative products or systems using existing materials, and to develop methods for processing materials. By definition Smart materials are materials created to respond and positively react to their immediate environments in a timely manner creating novel designs of already existing items (p.10). The unique nature of these smart materials that make them revolutionary include the ability to receive, transmit, as well as process a as referred to by a user.

Smart Material

From a definitive perspective, engineering or manufacturing materials are regarded as smart if at some point within their performance past they act flexible to a stimulus. Materials that officially have the tag of being ‘smart’ consist of piezoelectric materials, shape memory alloys, electrostrictive materials, ultraviolet-(UV) sensitive materials, thermo-responsive materials, pH-sensitive materials, electrorheological materials, smart polymers, smart gels (hydrogels), smart catalysts, and magnetorheological materials (Wang, & Kang, 1998). According to Callister these specific materials are also supposed to be responsive to the four components of the discipline of materials science. Samples of technical applications of smart material structures are structures such as composite materials embedded with, sound control, actuators, vibration control, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), sensors, fiber optics, shape control, product health and curative monitoring equipment , intelligent processing, active and passive controls, self-repair (healing), artificial organs, novel indicating devices, designed magnets, damping, aero-elastic stability, and stress distributions appliances(p.26). Smart structures are similarly found in automobiles, aerospace systems, fixed- androtary-wing aircrafts, marine vessels, as well as medical devices.

Currently the smart material include Piezoelectric , which are formed when subjective materials mostly organic crystal and some polymers subjected to an electric charge or a variation in voltage, will go through some mechanical alteration, and vice versa. These events are termed the direct and converse effects. Electrostrictive , these are materials that have similar properties as piezoelectric materialshowever, the mechanical change is relative to the square of the electric field. This characteristic will always produce displacements in the same direction. Magnetostrictive , this are materials that are fashioned when specific materials are subjected to a magnetic field, (direct and converse effects), the mechanical change of this materials consequently make these materialshighly suitable to be used as sensors andactuators.An example of a Magnetostrictive material is Terfenol-D. Shape Memory Alloys . As some materials are subjected to a thermalfield, they undergo phase transformation which will produce shape changes. It deforms to its ‘martensitic’ condition with low temperature, and regains its original shape in its ‘austenite’ condition when heated. An Example of a shape memory alloy is Nitinol TiNi. Optical Fibres , are fibres that use intensity waves, frequency or polarization of modulation to measure strain, temperature, electrical, magnetic fields, pressure and other measurable quantities. These materials can be used as sensors.

From the above examples of used or usable smart material have a high potential in being used for revolutionary applications.

Table 1: Smart Systems for Engineering Applications

For the purpose of forming a technical discussion for this paper Piezoelectric Materials are used as a sample of smart materials and are explained to show the evolution of engineering from a material perspective.

Piezoelectric Materials

Piezoelectric materials are materials or substances that are a result from the chemical reaction called piezoelectric effect. A piezoelectric effect by definition and function is the action of applying weights on the faces of particular crystal cuts, for instance quartz plate, identifying electric charges on the crystal surfaces, as well suggesting that the extent of charge is subjectively proportional to the applied weight (Uchino, 2010). In the 1920s period French scientist Langevin employed this process on quartz crystalsand in turn invent the first SONAR, in the following years to come many more other scientist tried to employ the same process on other crystal and other inorganic materials hence discovering new elements for instance polycrystalline, piezoelectric ceramic, barium titanate.

From Langevins experiment it is clear that the piezoelectric effect exists in a number of naturally occurring crystals suchas quartz, tourmaline as well as sodium potassium tartrate. For a crystal to display the piezoelectric effect result, it must not have a centre of equilibrium. When a stress in terms of weight is applied to a crystal with a centre of equilibrium, it will alterthe spacing between the positive as well as negative charge in each fundamental cell unit,hence resulting in a net polarization at the crystal surface. The resulting element or materialwas hence used by Langevin’s to invent the SONAR device.

Just as in organic materials such as crystals the piezoelectric effect can also be applied to various kinds of polymers. After polymerization of the vinylidene fluoride monomer, CH2-CF2 new materials such as semi-crystalline polymer, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), after polymerization are created. These new forms of polymers for instance semi-crystallinewere found to be highly piezoelectric. The PVDF material is created inleaves form from the nonpolar α-phase film derived from the polymer melting. The second and final step involves of reorientation of the unstructuredset up dipoles associated with the stretched β-phase by applying a poling field in the directionnormal to the plane of the film. The resulting piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride has orthotropic symmetry. A series of polyimides has been invented at NASA, Langley for use in piezoelectric submissions in the aerospace industry. These polyimides have suspended trifluoromethyl (—CF3) as well as cyano (—CN) polar clusters (Varadan et al. 2006, p.34). Whenever these polyimides are charged with a voltage of the order of 100 MV/m at high temperatures, the polar clusters transform to a high degree of alignment thus hence creating polymer films with high piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties( p.36).

Applications of Piezoelectric Materials

After the new materials have been created through material science as shown above they are then designed or structured to fashion items of various needs of human applications. For instance, a well-known application of piezoelectric ceramics derived from crystals is their use in ink-on-demand printing appliances. Several commercially existing ink jet printers are built upon this technological breakthrough. In this set up the impulse ink jet is fashioned using a cylindrical transducer that is compactly bound to the outer surface of a cylindrical glass nozzle with a select of sizable diameter (Leo, 2007, p. 45). As an addition to this application many other industrious engineers have extended this application upon this technology by using a printer as a chemical delivery system for the application of doped polymers for organic light-emitting displays (p. 47). A group of engineers from Princeton University have used a colour ink jet printer founded upon piezoelectric technology with a resolution of 640 dots per line as well as simply replaced the inks with polymer solutions. This technique has also been applied to the manufacture of color filters for liquid-crystal displays (p. 50).

Another application of the use of piezoelectric polymer film comprise of the work of a group of engineers at the Thiokol Company as well as an earlier expedition or experiment to monitor adhesive joints. The research illustrated that during the bonding process the polyvinylidene fluoride piezoelectric77 film sensors devices monitored the adhesive cure ultrasonically as well as qualitatively hence showing a resultof vital void content. The research similarly identified that that normal bond stresses amounted during cyclic piling of single lap joints or electrometric butt joints. The scholars at the facility revealed that this was a vital step toward service life forecasts. Nonetheless, more and better-explained monitoring systems are required. An interesting application of piezoelectric ceramics can be illustrated in the hundreds of vertical pinball machines popular in the Pachinko parlors of Japan (Leo, 2007, p. 55). The machineries are put together with moulds of piezoelectric disks that can be used to stand in both sensors as well as actuators.

Table 2: Applications of Piezoelectric Materials Utilizing the Converse Effect

Table 3: Applications of Polyvinylidene Fluoride Piezoelectric Film

In conclusion, in dealing with smart materials and structures, there is still a large amount of unknown data analysisfor instance what makes a material or structure smart and others not smart.Many material scientists have applied the piezoelectric effect on various promising materials for instance crystals and polymers but the results have not been promising. As of those which have had a positive piezoelectric effect their limits are boundless and their properties remain intriguing to many material scientists.In this sense it can be understood that the materials regarded to as Piezoelectric materials have given a new rise to novel products and the type of smart structures that one can design is only limited to an engineer’s skill, capabilities, and ability to innovate

Leo, D. J. (2007). Engineering analysis of smart material systems . Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons.

Gandhi, M. V., & Thompson, B. S. (1992). Smart materials and structures . London [u.a.: Chapman & Hall.

Varadan, V., Vinoy, K. J., & Gopalakrishnan, S. (2006). Smart Material Systems and MEMS: Design and Development Methodologies . Chichester: John Wiley & Sons

Wang, Z. L., & Kang, Z. C. (1998). Functional and smart materials: Structural evolution and structure analysis . New York: Plenum Press.

Schwartz, M. M. (2002). Encyclopedia of smart materials: Vol. 1 . New York, NY: Wiley.

Uchino, K. (2010). Advanced piezoelectric materials: Science and technology . Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Publishing.

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What is the Beautyrest PressureSmart mattress and should you buy it?

Does the Beautyrest PressureSmart offer superior pressure relief? We find out

• At a glance
• Price & trials
• Comfort & support
• Design & materials
• Should you buy it?

The Beautyrest PressureSmart is a luxury hybrid mattress, offered in a range of different firmness options. As with all Beautyrest mattresses, customization options are vast, which means that you can tailor your mattress to suit almost any type of sleeper. It’s a similar concept to the Saatva Classic, which is currently our top pick in our best mattress guide. 

The Beautyrest PressureSmart comes in four different firmness levels and there’s also the option of upgrading to either a Plush or Firm Pillow Top for a more luxurious, cloud-like finish. Designed to offer superior pressure relief, the mattress is also aimed at hot sleepers, with plenty of cooling tech to keep you from overheating at night.

With prices starting at $999 (MSRP), the PressureSmart is aimed firmly at the luxury market. But do note that this is for a firm mattress – prices jump if you choose a plush, medium or extra firm option. Discounts with the Beautyrest mattresses also aren’t as common as with many other brands. Still, there is a lot to recommend this mattress, so let’s look further into whether it’s the right choice for you.

Beautyrest PressureSmart: At a glance

Reasons for.

•  Fully customizable 
•  Superior pressure relief 
•  Anti-microbial cover 
•  Free white glove delivery 
•  Gel memory lumbar support 

Reasons against

•  Comparatively expensive 
•  100-night trial 
• Options can be confusing 

Like all Beautyrest mattresses (and the best luxury mattresses ) there’s a lot of choice and customization options when it comes to the PressureSmart. Choose from four different firmness options – plush, medium, firm, and extra firm, or upgrade to a plush or firm pillow top for a more luxe feel to the mattress. 

The big selling point of the PressureSmart range is the brand’s CarbonBoost foam, which is sewn into the cover of the mattress and provides immediate pressure relief when sleepers lie on it. There’s also Gel Memory Foam Lumbar Support in the center third of the mattress, providing zoned and targeted support where needed. 

These two factors combined make this mattress a great choice for those suffering with aches and pains, as they should get instant relief on their pressure points. The Plush mattresses also have added AirFeel foam to help with temperature regulation, working to stop heat getting trapped in the softer top layers of the mattress. 

Beautyrest PressureSmart: Price &trials

The pricing system of the Beautyrest PressureSmart is a little complicated, as it depends on what model and firmness rating you go for. These are the starting prices for a firm mattress, which is the cheapest option, but do note that prices rise with other firmness options. With a twin extra firm being the highest starting price at $1,649.

Here are the prices for the firm at full MSRP:

•  Twin: $999 
•  Twin XL: $1,199 
•  Full: $1,349 
•  Queen: $1,399 
•  King: $1,849 
•  Cal King: $1,849 

You will find sales and offers with Beautyrest, although many of them are focused around major sales events. And the PressureSmart is one of the brand’s newer mattresses, so don’t expect to see it included in as many sales as some of the longer standing mattresses. 

The mattress comes with a 100-night trial, which is a little disappointing for a luxury mattress. Yes, it’s perfectly adequate, but when you compare it to the year-long trial period offered with the Saatva Classic, it does seem a little stingy. There’s also a 10-year warranty and free white glove delivery and returns.

Beautyrest PressureSmart: <a href="https://beautyrest.7sb2uw.net/c/221109/689193/10598?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.beautyrest.com%2Fproducts%2Fpressuresmart-mattress" data-link-merchant="beautyrest.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> From $999 at Beautyrest Although the PressureSmart isn’t included in the brand’s Spring Savings sale, it’s still fairly reasonably priced for the brand, depending on which firmness option you choose, of course. This is still a luxury mattress though, so you may want to hang on and see if the price drops at one of the major sales events. Bookmark our <a href="https://www.tomsguide.com/news/best-cheap-mattress-deals-and-sales" data-link-merchant="tomsguide.com"" data-link-merchant="beautyrest.com""> mattress sales page to keep up with all the latest discounts.  

Beautyrest PressureSmart: Comfort & support

•   Choose from four different firmness options  
•   Plush and Firm pillow tops available as an extra add-on  
•   CarbonBoost foam to provide immediate pressure relief  

Beautyrest are big on customization options, and the PressureSmart is no exception. You can choose from four different firmness options – Plush, Medium, Firm and Extra Firm, all of which means this is a mattress that should appeal to a wide range of body types and sleeping styles . There’s also the option to upgrade to a pillow top in either a Plush or Firm finish to give extra padding and a luxe finish to the mattress.

The mattress’ big selling point is the addition of the brand’s CarbonBoost foam, which is sewn into the cover. This is designed to provide immediate pressure relief as soon as you lie on the mattress, supporting the body around the main pressure points of the neck, shoulders, back and hips. 

There’s also a Gel Memory Lumbar support, which offers targeted and zoned support at the lumbar region. Backed up by 1,000 pocketed coils, the PressureSmart does a great job of keeping the spine aligned in all positions (providing you choose the right firmness level for your sleeping style obviously). 

Beautyrest mattresses are also known for their excellent cooling technology and the PressureSmart is designed to keep sleepers comfortable at night and to prevent overheating. The Plush versions of the mattress have an added layer of AirFeel foam which, as well as providing softer comfort, also aids in helping to keep sleepers from heating up.

Beautyrest PressureSmart: Design & materials

•   Depth ranging from 11”-16.5”  
•   Gel-infused memory foam for cooling  
•   Hybrid mattress offering a combination of foams and coils  

The PressureSmart’s layers differ a little depending on which firmness option you go for and on whether you add in a pillow top. But all mattresses start with an anti-microbial treated cover, which helps to keep mold and bacteria at bay. The cover also has the brand’s InfiniCool Plus surface, designed to help with temperature regulation. The inclusion of CarbonBoost foam also helps to provide immediate pressure relief. 

The layers of foam in the mattress include gel-infused memory foam, which also helps to keep the mattress cool, as well as the Gel Memory Lumbar Support – again specifically designed to help with pressure relief. The pocketed coils are well-spaced to help with air flow and provide plenty of support and structure to the mattress. This is a great choice if you’re suffering with aches and pains but, if you’re on a tighter budget, our best mattresses for back pain will give you a wider choice.  

Beautyrest PressureSmart: Should you buy it?

Buy the beautyrest pressuresmart if....

✅   You want to be able to customize your mattress: Not only are there four firmness levels on offer with the Beautyrest PressureSmart, but you can also choose to add in a choice of pillow tops to create the perfect mattress for your sleeping style. 

✅   You suffer with aches and pains: The mattress’ raison d’être is its targeted and focused pressure relief, making this a great choice if you suffer with aches and pains. 

✅   You sleep hot: Although it’s not a dedicated cooling mattress, the cooling tech in the PressureSmart should keep you cool and comfortable at night. However, if you’re a really hot sleeper, you might want to consider one of the specialist best cooling mattresses . 

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Jo Plumridge is an experienced mattress reviewer with several years' experience covering all things mattresses and sleep, and who tests memory foam, hybrid and organic mattresses. What Jo doesn't know about a boxed mattress isn't worth knowing, so naturally we tasked her with producing a series of features for Tom's Guide looking at all aspects of mattresses, from how to pick between latex and memory foam (it's a tricky one), to the seven mistakes people make when buying a mattress for the first time. When testing the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid for Tom's Guide, Jo said: "I loved the back support and pressure relief it offered. Plus, it looks far more expensive than it is."

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