Strain pattern search of photo-responsive strip using topology optimization method

Abstract

A design method of the opto-mechanical actuation is proposed. The system is constituted of liquid crystal photo-responsive polymer, and is subject to light-induced isomerization, leading a nematic order collapse. An in-plane shrinkage having a gradient to the thickness of the material is used to model the bending of the opto-mechanical strip. Large displacement of the structure is modeled via corotational formulation. Topology optimization is used to find the optimized strain pattern that induces a desirable system-shape change. To demonstrate the design-capability of the proposed method, several strain distributions that includes pinching cantilever are designed with respect to various design objectives.