Context:
As more conductive 3D printing filaments become commercially available, the Nature-Inspired Fabrication and Transducers subject group (NIFTy) has been investigating a variety of 3D printed sensors. We have been exploring concepts from mechanically stiff to flexible conductive and non-conductive materials to form novel sensing concepts, using piezo-resistive, capacitive and thermo-resistive properties of the printed materials.
Recent developments have also included the development of a platform to provide in-situ monitoring of inter-layer adhesion and bulk material properties, allowing for an ever deeper understanding of the processes occurring at a material level.
Project description:
Previously, various versions of 3D printed piezo-resistive strain-gauges have been developed within the group, employing the inherent material anisotropy resulting from the inter-traxel (printline) interfaces as a method of observing material deformation.
This BSc assignment will explore this concept further by investigating the effect of non-planar 3D printing upon the interfaces and their piezo-resistive behaviour in the application of a strain sensor. Potentially, the existing in-situ monitoring setup can be adapted to further study the properties of the interface, depending on print configurations.