The research objective of this award is to create a strong technological base that will enable bio-inspired sensors and actuators to improve the safety, reliability, longevity, and functionality of civil and mechanical infrastructures; and to make a contribution to the process of intelligent renewal through the support of research and education focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration. The approach will focus on using bio-inspiration from both biomaterials and biological organisms to develop novel actuator systems - especially passive actuator systems with tunable parameters - to mitigate the damage from natural disasters such as earthquakes and wind. Novel actuator systems in an experimental shear beam model structure will be used to compare experimental results to theoretical results. This comparison will inform the development of reliable computational tools for modeling and optimizing the performance of passive actuator systems with tunable parameters as well as informing the design of optimized passive actuators.
If successful, this research has the potential to revitalize the field of structural protection with passive actuators. It will combine fundamental scientific and engineering principles with state-of-the-art technology, new paradigms and new prototypes inspired by nature's technology. This research will enhance interdisciplinary education with a commitment to outreach, recruitment, and retention of underrepresented minority and woman students. The PI and Co-PIs will provide outreach the High Schools and summer participation programs to get high school students involved in laboratory research. The project will support two graduate students in an interdisciplinary environment that will broaden their experience beyond what they would gain in a single discipline. The PI and Co-PIs will make every effort to recruit minority and woman students to work on the project both as graduate research assistants and as undergraduate researchers. The project will emphasize strong ties to California's MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) Program, which presents great opportunities for involving educationally disadvantaged students in research.
