Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) can be used to create large-scale soft tactile sensors that are flexible and robust. Good performance requires a fast and accurate mapping from the sensor's sequential voltage measurements to the distribution of force across its surface. However, particularly with multiple contacts, this task is challenging for both previously developed approaches: physics-based modeling and end-to-end data-driven learning. Some promising results were recently achieved using sim-to-real transfer learning, but estimating multiple contact locations and accurate contact forces remains difficult because simulations tend to be less accurate with a high number of contact locations and/or high force. This paper introduces a modular hybrid method that combines simulation data synthesized from an electromechanical finite element model with real measurements collected from a new ERT-based tactile sensor. We use about 290,000 simulated and 90,000 real measurements to train two deep neural networks: the first (Transfer-Net) captures the inevitable gap between simulation and reality, and the second (Recon-Net) reconstructs contact forces from voltage measurements. The number of contacts, contact locations, force magnitudes, and contact diameters are evaluated for a manually collected multi-contact dataset of 150 measurements. Our modular pipeline's results outperform predictions by both a physics-based model and end-to-end learning.

Variable-stiffness laminates have lately drawn attention because they offer potential for additional structural performance improvements. In the optimization studies, laminate stiffness properties can be described efficiently by using lamination parameters, which is a well-established formulation for constant-stiffness laminates. However, ensuring manufacturability in the design of variable-stiffness laminates with lamination parameters is difficult. In this paper, a novel method for the design of variable-stiffness composite panels using lamination parameters is proposed. The method constrains the design space by controlling the magnitude and direction of change for the lamination parameters, and subsequently leads to a smooth change in the fiber angles. The method is used to maximize the fundamental frequencies of several panels as example cases. The solutions are calculated for various panel geometries and boundary conditions using the developed finite element analysis software. After finding optimal lamination parameter distributions, corresponding discrete fiber angles and fiber paths are retrieved, and the minimum radii of curvature are calculated. The results demonstrate that the proposed design method provides manufacturable smooth fiber paths while using the compact stiffness formulation feature of lamination parameters.

Fiber-reinforced composites have gained worldwide popularity due to their superb properties including high specific stiffness and strength. In addition to their favorable physical attributes, the mechanical characteristics of these materials can be tailored to maximize their performance for distinct applications. Recent advances in additive manufacturing have enabled the fabrication of curvilinear fibers, which can further improve internal load allocation. Composite structures become even more effective when stiffness tailoring is combined with topology optimization, which concerns determining the ideal material distribution for a specific structural design problem. However, collective optimization of material anisotropy and geometry poses inherent challenges that prompted the development of diverse methodologies. This review article summarizes the state-of-the-art composite design techniques developed to optimize fiber paths and structural topology sequentially or simultaneously. The available approaches are categorized according to their scope and intrinsic principles unlike many existing works employing classification based on optimization or material parametrization schemes. The paper also covers experimental results as another rare feature. The advantages and shortcomings of the investigated methods are discussed considering various aspects including effectiveness, ease of use, computational cost, versatility, robustness, and suitability for manufacturing. The review concludes with remarks on relevant open problems and potential future research directions.

Laminated composite panels are extensively used in various engineering applications. Piezoelectric transducers can be integrated into such composite structures for a variety of vibration control and energy harvesting applications. Analyzing the structural dynamics of such electromechanical systems requires precise modeling tools which properly consider the coupling between the piezoelectric elements and the laminates. Although previous analytical models in the literature cover vibration analysis of laminated composite plates with fully covered piezoelectric layers, they do not provide a formulation for modeling the piezoelectric patches that partially cover the plate surface. In this study, a methodology for vibration analysis of laminated composite plates with surface-bonded piezo-patches is developed. Rayleigh–Ritz method is used for solving the modal analysis and obtaining the frequency response functions. The developed model includes mass and stiffness contribution of the piezo-patches as well as the two-way electromechanical coupling effect. Moreover, an accelerated method is developed for reducing the computation time of the modal analysis solution. For validations, system-level finite element simulations are performed in ANSYS software. The results show that the developed analytical model can be utilized for accurate and efficient analysis and design of laminated composite plates with surface-bonded piezo-patches.