CAREER: Additive Manufacturing of Adaptive Metal Origami

Advances in additive manufacturing now enable the fabrication of thin walls and complex geometries with multiple materials. The synthesis and processing of shape memory alloy materials using laser-based additive manufacturing has the potential to create adaptable and responsive complex structures, such as foldable metal origami shapes, which can be used in applications with high strength and temperature requirements with intricate shapes beyond the conventional manufacturing capabilities. This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project will support research that promotes the progress of the science of creating functionally graded shape memory alloy structures by additive manufacturing techniques and studying foldable shape memory origami patterns. Expanding understanding of manufacturing adaptive metal origami structures that can result from this project look to help shape future actuation and control needs in mobility, aerospace, biomedical devices, robotics, construction, and defense industrial sectors. This project has three research thrusts: 1) Modeling and characterizing the microstructure, mechanical, and thermomechanical properties of shape memory alloy material manufactured by laser powder bed fusion with functionally graded material designs along fold lines, (2) Defining the effect of origami features and functionally graded materials during additive manufacturing on origami shape memory alloy pattern folding performance, and (3) Investigating computational topological models for origami shape memory alloy structures by including material properties and manufacturing constraints within an origami pattern enumerating algorithm. The integration of materials and manufacturing constraints in the unfolding analysis of origami shape memory alloy looks to enable the optimization of adaptive origami shape memory alloy geometries to precisely change shape upon stimulus. The project introduces and boosts interest in STEM research among undergraduate students by developing and integrating educational activities focused on developing Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (Additive Manufacturing-CURES) in the manufacturing and materials courses. The educational plan includes holding science workshops and outreach activities through the Toledo Excel Institute for K-8 students, in addition to two planned workshops at the Imagination Station Children’s Museum at Toledo. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.