Designing, manufacturing and testing bimorph piezoelectric twisting actuators

This thesis report contains two papers. The first paper is a literature study on mechanisms, smart actuated materials and controllable joints. In this paper, several smart materials are identified and it is discussed how they can be embedded in different mechanisms. From this paper, it is concluded that fast-response smart material twisting...

Interlaminar toughening approaches for additively manufactured liquid crystal polymers

Liquid crystalline polymers have recently attracted attention for their great tensile properties. However, their interlaminar fracture toughness is low. To solve this, toughening approaches inspired by Nature are applied, exploiting the shaping freedom of fused deposition modelling. Three approaches are studied: the matchstick approach, z...

Integral Channel Nozzles and Heat Exchangers using Additive Manufacturing Directed Energy Deposition NASA HR-1 Alloy

Heat exchangers for use in propulsion applications are very critical components because they must be efficient, compact and light and often operate with working fluids at extreme temperatures or pressures or both. Various components and systems use heat exchangers such as combustion chambers of gas turbines and internal combustion engines, fuel...

Gear Repair using Laser Metal Deposition

The urge for more sustainable and cost-efficient repair methods for damaged parts is growing every day. On the other hand, laser metal deposition (LMD) is gaining momentum. This flexible technique, where material is added in a layer-by-layer fashion with a minimal heat input offers solutions for a wide range of production and repair purposes....

3D Printing Metal Spare Parts On-board: The Implementation of Additive Manufacturing on-board Heerema Vessels

In this Master Thesis the potential of Additive Manufacturing on-board vessels of Heerema Marine Contractors is looked into, with the goal to design a recommendation for implementing this technology. Heerema is an offshore construction company that is intrinsically motivated to improve their sustainability. They transport, install and remove all...

Design of a Super-Compressible Metamaterial: An Experimental Investigation Guided by Machine Learning

Mechanical metamaterials are a new emerging class of materials which achieve properties outside the bounds of conventional materials. A metamaterial consists of a unit cell which is periodically repeated in space. In this study, a new metamaterial unit cell is proposed, derived from a class of space structures known as deployable masts. What...

Intent-Based Material Extrusion 3D Printing: Moving from process-driven to intent-driven 3D printing

The graduation project is carried out as a collaboration between the Delft University of Technology and Ultimaker. Ultimaker B.V. is a 3D printer company located in Geldermalsen, The Netherlands. Users of 3D printers are presented with a multitude of action possibilities. However, these action possibilities are not yet translated into easy to...