SBIR-STTR Award

New technologies in imaging and manufacturing, including Additive Manufacturing (AM), are opening possibilities for mimicking biological structures in a way that has been unprecedented in human history. The primary innovation proposed here is the development of a tool that generates bio-inspired, parametrically optimized cellular materials for integration into the design of Additively Manufactured three-dimensional structures, and will have four main constituent parts: Natural Models: Here we will identify biological models comprised of cellular patterns that will be used to parameterize the bio-inspired optimization tool. Parametrization: Using our identified natural models, we will measure and evaluate design parameters that will be used as inputs in the optimization tool. These parameters will fall into two categories: environmental (loading condition and thermal requirements) and design (thickness, curvature, length, and known material properties). Optimization Tool: At the heart of the proposal is an optimization tool that will use the commercially available Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software as its solver engine. The tool will operate on the environmental and design parameters (including material properties) developed in the previous part to identify clear structure-function relationships in the context of multiple objectives such as light-weighting and minimizing deformation. The output of the tool will both be reconciled against the data from natural models as well as used to design test specimens for validation with AM Additive Manufacturing: Our use of AM will serve two-purposes: first, we will use AM to validate the proposed design output from our bio-inspired optimization tool; second, we will ultimately use AM to manufacture bio-inspired parts, such as a heat exchangers or structural brackets that can be used in aerospace engineering. Potential NASA Applications Design and Manufacturing of high performance Materials for use in - Heat Exchangers - Lightweight structures - Space debris resistant skins Potential Non-NASA Applications Design and Manufacturing of high performance materials for use in - Lightweight structures - Heat Exchangers - Protective Armor - Acoustic Liners - Shock Absorption

The primary innovation proposed is the development of a lattice design tool that combines concepts from topology and parameter optimization to generate lattice materials that are aperiodic in nature and do not require a priori definition of cell size. With Additive Manufacturing, we can now specify detail to a degree previously not possible. In the context of cellular materials, however, it is not apparent how we can maximize this freedom to improve performance, and enable multi-functionality. This is the opportunity that our innovation addresses, by developing a lattice design optimization tool that does not require a priori knowledge of either cell shape or stochastic function, instead subjecting lattice connectivity itself to optimization, leveraging Bio-inspired design principles to effectively constrain the search. This capability does not exist in commercial code, these ideas are only hinted at in academic literature. We expect these new design capabilities to impact positively by at least 20-50%, all the domains traditionally occupied by cellular materials. Nesting our capability within commercial FEA software (ANSYS) will accelerate adoption. In addition to the software product itself, our deliverables include cellular material data for inclusion in NASA’s open-source PeTaL platform, data analysis, experimental results, and 3D printed metal demonstration artifacts. Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Design and Manufacturing f high performance Materials for use in Heat shields Acoustic liners Space debris resistant skins Lightweight panels Conformal, structural heat exchangers Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Design and Manufacturing of high performance materials for use in Lightweight structures Heat Exchangers Protective Armor Acoustic Liners Shock Absorption