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This paper describes a series of endurance and material property tests conducted on a pneumatic, fabric-reinforced inflatable soft actuator made of Dragon Skin 30 silicone, which exhibited performance variations during operation. It is important to understand the level of variation over time and how it affects the motions of the soft actuators. The tests were designed to investigate the repeatability and durability of the actuator by measuring changes in its trajectories after long working periods, determining its failure pressure, and examining its elasticity through tensile tests. The experiments were performed on multiple soft actuators, and the results show pertinent information about the variation in their motion and how it relates to the material behavior of the silicone. This information enhances our understanding of the real-world behavior of silicone soft actuators and enables us to better control their performance in our applications.

 

Modern crystallographic refinement methods treat each atom in a molecule as neutral with spherical electron density. Atoms, however, exhibit partial atomic charges arising from intramolecular forces via bonding. These partial charges are crucial for understanding electronic structure and bulk physical properties of molecules. Typically the polarity and polarizability of molecules are calculated using IR and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. While these techniques can be used on small molecules, fine elucidation of partial charges on individual atoms is still unrealized. Here we present crystallographic refinement developments that allow us to refine electron density around individual atoms to experimentally calculate partial atomic charges. Comparison between these experimentally calculated charges to theoretical quantum calculated charges will also be presented. 

Internal delamination damage is detected in fiber reinforced polymer composite materials containing active functionality. Damage‐triggered magnetization of the delaminated zone is accomplished using a vascular system to deliver fluids that precipitate magnetic particles upon mixing. Multiple modes of detection are used to sense the presence of this magnetic material. Visual detection is accomplished by the high contrast between damaged and undamaged areas provided by the biomimetic “bruise” formed by the magnetic particles. Magnetic scanning is also used to detect the particles, even if obscured by paint or by opaque reinforcement, such as carbon fiber. Additionally, thermal detection is accomplished by inductively heating the magnetic particles and sensing the temperature differential with an infrared camera. The effectiveness of each detection mode is discussed and compared to industry standard C‐scan to assess accuracy. Using the damage area measured with C‐scan as the benchmark, visual detection measures the damage area with 76% accuracy, and magnetic detection measures the damage area with 91% accuracy. Thermal detection accuracy is time‐dependent as expected. All detection modes consistently detect the presence of damage. The multifunctionality of this material can tailor damage detection techniques for the application and provide a parallel system to augment and potentially enhance self‐healing.