Fabrication and response testing of a hybrid cellular structure with the ability to transform cells formed into diamond-shaped silhouettes

The development, production and application of an active hybrid cell structure are presented. The composite structure is built from two very different materials, the combination of which enables changing the external geometry of the product with a temperature variation. The base (matrix) is a biodegradable polymer produced using additive manufacturing, to which wires made of high-strength material with a shape memory effect are subsequently added. The two materials are built into specially designed cell shapes with progressively increasing cell sizes. Since the wires are made of NiTinol alloy, this enables temperature activation of the wire network, which triggers controlled changes of the structure’s geometry. For this purpose, three implementations of cell structures were made with an objective to find the most effective backward transformation of the cellular structure after the activation of the wires. The activation of the structure was tested both in hot air and in hot water. Numerical simulations confirmed experimental tests and showed the strong regeneration ability of the hybrid especially in the third version of the structure.