智能水凝胶溶胀大变形等几何分析及功能器件结构优化设计

Smart hydrogels possess the swelling-induced large deformability due to the slight change of temperature or pH of the environment and have attracted much attention in recent years. These materials have great potential applications as smart actuators, adaptive optical lens and drug delivery devices in many engineering areas, including molecular device, optical device and biomedical engineering. However, the mechanical analysis and structural design of these smart hydrogels and related functional devices usually involve structures with complex geometry, anisotropic constitutive behaviors, geometrical nonlinearities, multiphase and multifield interactions. There is still a lack of effective and accurate numerical methods for the integrated mechanical analysis and structural optimization of the smart hydrogel-based functional devices. To solve this problem, the present project aims at the developments of isogeometric finite element methods for the analysis of the quasi-static and transient swelling behaviors of smart hydrogels involving isotropic and anisotropic mechanical behaviors in solid and thin walled structures, the optimal design methods for the structures of smart hydrogel-based functional devices, the effective iterative algorithms for the nonlinear analysis of coupled systems and the related computational softwares. Based on the developed numerical methods and computational softwares, this project will perform the structural design for smart hydrogel-based self-walking devices, drug delivery devices and biomimetic actuators. The outcomes of the project will advance the thorough study of theories and methods for more general multiphase and multifield problems.

智能水凝胶材料具有对温度和pH值等环境因素敏感的溶胀大变形力学特性，其在分子/光学器件及生物医学等诸多工程领域有着广泛的应用前景。然而智能水凝胶材料及功能器件的力学分析和结构设计往往涉及复杂的几何构型、各向异性本构行为、大变形及液固和多场耦合作用，目前仍缺乏针对其变形行为和结构优化一体化分析的高效高精度数值求解方法。针对这一问题，本项目将面向各向同性及纤维增强各向异性智能水凝胶实体、薄壁结构及其功能器件的力学行为分析，建立其稳态和瞬态溶胀耦合大变形数值求解的等几何实体和壳体有限元分析列式，提出针对智能水凝胶功能器件的结构优化设计方法，发展耦合非线性方程的一致迭代求解算法，研发等几何数值分析及优化软件。研究成果将为基于智能水凝胶材料的自行走装置、药物输运装置和仿生作动器等功能器件的力学行为分析和新结构设计提供有效的手段，并推动复杂多相多场耦合大变形问题分析的基本理论与数值方法的深入研究。

智能水凝胶材料具有对环境因素敏感的溶胀大变形力学特性，其在分子/光学器件及生物医学等诸多工程领域有着广泛的应用前景。然而智能水凝胶材料及功能器件的力学分析和结构设计往往涉及复杂的几何构型、各向异性本构、大变形及液固和多场耦合作用，目前仍缺乏针对其变形行为和结构优化一体化分析的高效高精度数值求解方法。围绕上述问题，本项目开展了智能水凝胶溶胀大变形等几何分析及功能器件结构优化设计方法研究。针对智能水凝胶材料的各向异性本构行为、大变形及液固和多场耦合作用等问题，借鉴耦合结构变形、液体渗透和环境参量扩散行为的混合物理论，建立了智能水凝胶实体、薄壁结构及其功能器件的稳态和瞬态溶胀耦合大变形数值求解的壳体有限元和等几何分析方法，提出了针对智能水凝胶功能器件的结构优化设计方法，发展了耦合非线性方程的一致迭代求解算法。本项目所发展的理论框架和算法体系可为一大类多相多场耦合大变形问题分析提供可供借鉴的理论、方法和求解思路，同时也可为智能水凝胶自行走装置、药物输运装置、智能光学透镜和仿生智能作动器等功能器件的力学行为分析和新结构设计等提供有效的数值分析及优化设计手段。项目共发表SCI收录期刊论文17篇；培养毕业博士1人、硕士2人；参加国内外学术会议4人次，其中在国内学术会议上做邀请报告2人次，在国际学术会议上做Keynote报告2人次。