Experimental investigation of the softening-stiffening response of tensegrity prisms under compressive loading

The present paper is concerned with the formulation of new assembly methods of bi-material tensegrity prisms, and the experimental characterization of the compressive response of such structures. The presented assembly techniques are easy to implement, including a string-first approach in the case of ordinary tensegrity prisms, and a base-first approach in the case of systems equipped with rigid bases. The experimental section shows that the compressive response of tensegrity prisms switches from stiffening to softening under large displacements, in dependence on the current values of suitable geometric and prestress variables. Future research lines regarding the mechanical modeling of tensegrity prisms and their use as building blocks of nonlinear periodic lattices and acoustic metamaterials are discussed

On the mechanical modeling of the extreme softening/stiffening response of axially loaded tensegrity prisms

We study the geometrically nonlinear behavior of uniformly compressed tensegrity prisms, through fully elastic and rigid--elastic models. The presented models predict a variety of mechanical behaviors in the regime of large displacements, including an extreme stiffening-type response, already known in the literature, and a newly discovered, extreme softening behavior. The latter may lead to a snap buckling event producing an axial collapse of the structure. The switching from one mechanical regime to another depends on the aspect ratio of the structure, the magnitude of the applied prestress, and the material properties of the constituent elements. We discuss potential acoustic applications of such behaviors, which are related to the design and manufacture of tensegrity lattices and innovative phononic crystals

In silico case studies of compliant robots: AMARSI deliverable 3.3

In the deliverable 3.2 we presented how the morphological computing ap- proach can significantly facilitate the control strategy in several scenarios, e.g. quadruped locomotion, bipedal locomotion and reaching. In particular, the Kitty experimental platform is an example of the use of morphological computation to allow quadruped locomotion. In this deliverable we continue with the simulation studies on the application of the different morphological computation strategies to control a robotic system

On the compact wave dynamics of tensegrity beams in multiple dimensions

This work presents a numerical investigation on the nonlinear wave dynamics of tensegrity beams in 1D, 2D and 3D arrangements. The simulation of impact loading on a chain of tensegrity prisms and lumped masses allows us to apply on a smaller scale recent results on the propagation of compression solitary waves in 1D tensegrity metamaterials. Novel results on the wave dynamics of 2D and 3D beams reveal - for the first time - the presence of compact compression waves in two- and three-dimensional tensegrity lattices with slender aspect ratio. The dynamics of such systems is characterized by the thermalization of the lattice nearby the impacted regions of the boundary. The portion of the absorbed energy moving along the longitudinal direction is transported by compression waves with compact support. Such waves emerge with nearly constant speed, and slight modifications of their spatial shape and amplitude, after collisions with compression waves traveling in opposite direction. The analyzed behaviors suggest the use of multidimensional tensegrity lattices for the design and additive manufacturing of novel sound focusing devices

Design and Control of Compliant Tensegrity Robots Through Simulation and Hardware Validation

To better understand the role of tensegrity structures in biological systems and their application to robotics, the Dynamic Tensegrity Robotics Lab at NASA Ames Research Center has developed and validated two different software environments for the analysis, simulation, and design of tensegrity robots. These tools, along with new control methodologies and the modular hardware components developed to validate them, are presented as a system for the design of actuated tensegrity structures. As evidenced from their appearance in many biological systems, tensegrity ("tensile-integrity") structures have unique physical properties which make them ideal for interaction with uncertain environments. Yet these characteristics, such as variable structural compliance, and global multi-path load distribution through the tension network, make design and control of bio-inspired tensegrity robots extremely challenging. This work presents the progress in using these two tools in tackling the design and control challenges. The results of this analysis includes multiple novel control approaches for mobility and terrain interaction of spherical tensegrity structures. The current hardware prototype of a six-bar tensegrity, code-named ReCTeR, is presented in the context of this validation

On the design, elastic modeling and experimental characterization of novel tensegrity units

Purpose This study aims to focus on a short review on recent results dealing with the mechanical modelling and experimental characterization of a novel class of tensegrity structures, named class θ = 1 tensegrity prisms. The examined structures exhibit six bars connected by two disjoint sets of strings. Design/methodology/approach First, the self-equilibrium problem of tensegrity θ = 1 prisms is numerically investigated for varying values of two aspect parameters and, next, their prestress stability is studied. The mechanical behavior of the examined structures in the large displacements regime under uniform compression loading is also numerically computed through a path-following procedure. Finally, the predicted constitutive response is validated through experimental tests. Findings The presented results highlight that the examined structures exhibit a large number of infinitesimal mechanisms from the freestanding configuration, and reveal that they exhibit tunable elastic response switching from stiffening to softening. Originality/value This multi-faceted elastic response is in agreement with previous literature results on the elastic response of minimal tensegrity prism, and suggests that such units can be usefully used as non-linear springs in next-generation tensegrity metamaterials

On the additive manufacturing, post-tensioning and testing of bi-material tensegrity structures

An investigation on the additive manufacturing and the experimental testing of 3D models of tensegrity prisms and columns is presented. An Electron Beam Melting facility (Arcam EBM S12) is employed to 3D print structures composed of tensegrity prisms endowed with rigid bases and temporary supports, which are made out of the titanium alloy Ti6Al4V. The temporary supports are removed after the additive manufacturing phase, when Spectra cross-strings are added to the 3D printed models, and a suitable state of internal prestress is applied to the structure. The experimental part of the study shows that the examined structures feature stiffening-type elastic response under large or moderately large axial strains induced by compressive loading. Such a geometrically nonlinear behavior confirms previous theoretical results available in the literature, and paves the way to the use of tensegrity prisms and columns as innovative mechanical metamaterials and smart devices