Liquid Crystal Elastomer Lock
Creator: David Li
Supervisor: Peter Yeadon
Partner: Soft Matter Lab at the University of Rhode Island
Description: A self-locking mechanism that can be unlocked with an external energy source, in a compact form that is impossible with more conventional materials.
Expectation: The behavior of the liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) actuator can be managed by a controlled heat source that does not have direct contact with the material, or has limited contact points, overcoming a counterforce that is used to enable self-locking.
Observations: LCE, even with carbon black added, is a poor conductor of heat. A single contact point needs to be heated to above LCE’s melting point for the heat to start migrating throughout the material. So, heat needs to be introduced more uniformly. LCE’s strength is significant considering its size. It would require more exploration to determine whether this is scalable.
Previous Next
Back︎︎︎
