Tuning the Size and Stiffness of Inflatable Particles

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Pashine, Nidhi, Wang, Dong, Baines, Robert, Goyal, Medha, Shattuck, Mark D., O'Hern, Corey S., Kramer-Bottiglio, Rebecca
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Pashine, Nidhi
Wang, Dong
Baines, Robert
Goyal, Medha
Shattuck, Mark D.
O'Hern, Corey S.
Kramer-Bottiglio, Rebecca
author_facet Pashine, Nidhi
Wang, Dong
Baines, Robert
Goyal, Medha
Shattuck, Mark D.
O'Hern, Corey S.
Kramer-Bottiglio, Rebecca
contents We describe size-varying cylindrical particles made from silicone elastomers that can serve as building blocks for robotic granular materials. The particle size variation, which is achieved by inflation, gives rise to changes in stiffness under compression. We design and fabricate inflatable particles that can become stiffer or softer during inflation, depending on key parameters of the particle geometry, such as the ratio of the fillet radius to the wall thickness, r/t. We also conduct numerical simulations of the inflatable particles and show that they only soften during inflation when localization of large strains occurs in the regime r/t -> 0. This work introduces novel particle systems with tunable size and stiffness that can be implemented in numerous soft robotic applications.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_07850
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Tuning the Size and Stiffness of Inflatable Particles
Pashine, Nidhi
Wang, Dong
Baines, Robert
Goyal, Medha
Shattuck, Mark D.
O'Hern, Corey S.
Kramer-Bottiglio, Rebecca
Soft Condensed Matter
We describe size-varying cylindrical particles made from silicone elastomers that can serve as building blocks for robotic granular materials. The particle size variation, which is achieved by inflation, gives rise to changes in stiffness under compression. We design and fabricate inflatable particles that can become stiffer or softer during inflation, depending on key parameters of the particle geometry, such as the ratio of the fillet radius to the wall thickness, r/t. We also conduct numerical simulations of the inflatable particles and show that they only soften during inflation when localization of large strains occurs in the regime r/t -> 0. This work introduces novel particle systems with tunable size and stiffness that can be implemented in numerous soft robotic applications.
title Tuning the Size and Stiffness of Inflatable Particles
topic Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.07850