Recently, pH-sensitive hydrogels have been utilized in the diverse applications including sensors, switches, and actuators. In order to have continuous stress and deformation ?elds, a new semi-analytical approach is d...Recently, pH-sensitive hydrogels have been utilized in the diverse applications including sensors, switches, and actuators. In order to have continuous stress and deformation ?elds, a new semi-analytical approach is developed to predict the swelling induced?nite bending for a functionally graded(FG) layer composed of a pH-sensitive hydrogel,in which the cross-link density is continuously distributed along the thickness direction under the plane strain condition. Without considering the intermediary virtual reference,the initial state is mapped into the deformed con?guration in a circular shape by utilizing a total deformation gradient tensor stemming from the inhomogeneous swelling of an FG layer in response to the variation of the pH value of the solvent. To enlighten the capability of the presented analytical method, the ?nite element method(FEM) is used to verify the accuracy of the analytical results in some case studies. The perfect agreement con-?rms the accuracy of the presented method. Due to the applicability of FG pH-sensitive hydrogels, some design factors such as the semi-angle, the bending curvature, the aspect ratio, and the distributions of deformation and stress ?elds are studied. Furthermore, the tangential free-stress axes are illustrated in deformed con?guration.展开更多
The swelling behavior of a temperature-sensitive poly-N-isopropylacrylamide(PNIPAM) hydrogel circular cylinder is studied subjected to combined extension-torsion and varied temperature. In this regard, a semi-analytic...The swelling behavior of a temperature-sensitive poly-N-isopropylacrylamide(PNIPAM) hydrogel circular cylinder is studied subjected to combined extension-torsion and varied temperature. In this regard, a semi-analytical solution is proposed for general combined loading. A finite element(FE) analysis is conducted, subjecting a hydrogel cylinder to the combined extension-torsion and the varied temperature to evaluate the validity and accuracy of the solution. A user-defined UHYPER subroutine is developed and verified under free and constrained swelling conditions. The FE results illustrate excellent agreement with the semi-analytical solution. Due to the complexity of the problem, some compositions and applied loading factors are analyzed. It is revealed that for larger cross-linked density and larger ending temperature, the cylinder yields higher stresses and smaller radial swelling deformation. Besides, the radial and hoop stresses increase by applying larger twist and axial stretch. The hoop stresses intersect at approximately R/Rout = 0.58, where the hoop stress vanishes. Besides, the axial force has direct and inverse relationships with the axial stretch and the twist, respectively. However, the resultant torsional moment behavior is complex, and the position of the maximum point varies significantly by altering the axial stretch and the twist.展开更多
文摘Recently, pH-sensitive hydrogels have been utilized in the diverse applications including sensors, switches, and actuators. In order to have continuous stress and deformation ?elds, a new semi-analytical approach is developed to predict the swelling induced?nite bending for a functionally graded(FG) layer composed of a pH-sensitive hydrogel,in which the cross-link density is continuously distributed along the thickness direction under the plane strain condition. Without considering the intermediary virtual reference,the initial state is mapped into the deformed con?guration in a circular shape by utilizing a total deformation gradient tensor stemming from the inhomogeneous swelling of an FG layer in response to the variation of the pH value of the solvent. To enlighten the capability of the presented analytical method, the ?nite element method(FEM) is used to verify the accuracy of the analytical results in some case studies. The perfect agreement con-?rms the accuracy of the presented method. Due to the applicability of FG pH-sensitive hydrogels, some design factors such as the semi-angle, the bending curvature, the aspect ratio, and the distributions of deformation and stress ?elds are studied. Furthermore, the tangential free-stress axes are illustrated in deformed con?guration.
文摘The swelling behavior of a temperature-sensitive poly-N-isopropylacrylamide(PNIPAM) hydrogel circular cylinder is studied subjected to combined extension-torsion and varied temperature. In this regard, a semi-analytical solution is proposed for general combined loading. A finite element(FE) analysis is conducted, subjecting a hydrogel cylinder to the combined extension-torsion and the varied temperature to evaluate the validity and accuracy of the solution. A user-defined UHYPER subroutine is developed and verified under free and constrained swelling conditions. The FE results illustrate excellent agreement with the semi-analytical solution. Due to the complexity of the problem, some compositions and applied loading factors are analyzed. It is revealed that for larger cross-linked density and larger ending temperature, the cylinder yields higher stresses and smaller radial swelling deformation. Besides, the radial and hoop stresses increase by applying larger twist and axial stretch. The hoop stresses intersect at approximately R/Rout = 0.58, where the hoop stress vanishes. Besides, the axial force has direct and inverse relationships with the axial stretch and the twist, respectively. However, the resultant torsional moment behavior is complex, and the position of the maximum point varies significantly by altering the axial stretch and the twist.