Strengthening effect of flooding in 3d printed porous soft robotics scaffolds

Abstract

This study aims to design and 3D print porous elements for soft robotic applications and test the stiffness changes when the cavities are filled with liquids. When an elastic element has porous scaffolds, the stiffness can be controlled by filling the cavities with a liquid. A gyroid structure is selected for the design and evaluation of the characteristics of elements. The stiffness of the element in both non-filled and liquid-filled modes is analyzed using Finite Element Model (FEM) simulation Software in two modes where simple support with central loading and compressive uniform loading. A porous test structure is created and tested in these modes for observation of the stiffness change. In this project, employing a Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) printer enabled us to make our thoughts into reality. The results show that liquid-filling can be used as a stiffening method for porous scaffolds in soft robotic applications