A team of researchers made an exciting discovery that has the potential to advance structure durability. According to Interesting Engineering, scientists have made significant headway in a new joining technology called interlocking metasurfaces, or ILMs.
Researchers from Texas A&M University and Sandia National Laboratories used 3D printing to design and create active ILMs. By integrating shape memory alloys, such as nickel-titanium, the ILMs are able to recover their original shape even after changing temperatures warp the structures.
Compared to current methods of structure-joining, such as bolts and adhesives, ILMs are designed to improve strength and stability.
"ILMs are poised to redefine joining technologies across a range of applications, much like Velcro did decades ago," Dr. Ibrahim Karaman, professor and head of the materials science and engineering departments at Texas A&M, told Interesting Engineering.
Essentially, ILMs act as Legos, allowing two structural pieces to join together by transmitting force and preventing movement. This is a major step forward from existing joining methods, which are passive and require force for joining.
Moving forward, ILMs offer the potential for smart, adaptive structures that have more flexibility and functionality through temperature changes, which could become even more valuable as climate change causes more extreme temperatures and weather. The best part? Durability and strength aren't compromised.
Practical applications of ILMs apply across industries. For example, from a medical standpoint, ILMs provide the ability to adjust prosthetics to body movement and temperature, offering patients an improved treatment solution.
Another potential function of ILMs is the ability to design reconfigurable aerospace engineering parts, specifically for mechanics that require continuous reassembly. From an environmental perspective, ILMs can make buildings more durable in the face of extreme weather events.
While the researchers are still exploring ILM technology, they hope to expand upon their findings. Currently, the team aims to develop ILMs that can withstand large deformation and still be able to recover despite high stress levels.
"We anticipate that incorporating [shape memory alloys] into ILMs will unlock numerous future applications, though several challenges remain," Karaman told Interesting Engineering.
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