Monolithic DNApatite: An Elastic Apatite with Sub-Nanometer Scale Organo-Inorganic Structures.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) exhibits outstanding biocompatibility, bioactivity, osteoconductivity, and natural anti-inflammatory properties. Pure HA, ion-doped HA, and HA-polymer composites are investigated, but critical limitations such as brittleness remain; numerous efforts are being made to address them. Herein, the novel self-crystallization of a polymeric single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) without additional phosphate ions for synthesizing deoxyribonucleic apatite (DNApatite) is presented. The synthesized DNApatite, DNA1Ca2.2(PO4)1.3OH2.1, has a repetitive dual phase of inorganic HA crystals and amorphous organic ssDNA at the sub-nm scale, forming nanorods. Its mechanical properties, including toughness and elasticity, are significantly enhanced compared with those of HA nanorod, with a Young's modulus similar to that of natural bone.

Effect of Defects on Progressive Failure Behavior of Plain Weave Textile Composites.

Various types of internal defects occur during manufacturing and handling of composite materials. It is practically impossible to manufacture composite structures without defects, making it crucial to understand the effect of defects on their failure behavior to maintain structural safety. In this work, the effect of pre-defects on the failure behavior of plain weave textile composites was studied. Unit cell configurations with symmetric, in-phase, and shifted fiber tow arrangements were considered. Inter-laced warp and fill tows and matrix pockets of plain weave unit cells were modeled in three-dimensional finite elements, and cohesive elements were inserted between all bulk elements to account for the fracture modes of the fiber and matrix direction failure of warp and fill tows, matrix pocket failure, and interface failure. Unit cell models containing pre-defects of voids, tow-matrix pocket separation, warp-fill tow separation, and cracks in the warp and fill tows were analyzed, and their effects on progressive failure behavior were investigated in terms of the interaction between fiber tow arrangements and defects. Results indicated that initial failure occurred in matrix-direction failure mode in fill tows, whereas fiber tow-matrix pocket separation was the major failure mode under uniaxial tensile load. Furthermore, failure behavior was found to be highly dependent on the fiber tow arrangement pattern and the location of pre-defects.

A novel tape spring hinge mechanism for quasi-static deployment of a satellite deployable using shape memory alloy.

A tape spring hinge (TSH) is a typical flexible deployment device for a satellite and becomes frequently used due to its simplicity, lightweight, low cost, and high deployment reliability. However, the performance of a TSH is quite limited due to trade-offs among deployed stiffness, deployment torque, and latch-up shock despite its many advantages. In this study, a novel conceptual design that circumvents the trade-offs among functional requirements (FRs) is proposed. The trade-offs are obviated by a newly proposed shape memory alloy damper that converts the deployment behavior of a conventional TSH from unstable dynamic to stable quasi-static. This makes it possible to maximize the deployment stiffness and deployment torque of a conventional TSH, which are larger-the-better FR, without any increase in the latch-up shock. Therefore, in view of conceptual design, it is possible to design a highly improved TSH that has much higher deployed stiffness and deployment torque compared to a conventional TSH while minimizing latch-up shock and deployment unstableness. Detailed design was performed through response surface method and finite element analysis. Finally, a prototype was manufactured and tested in order to verify its performance (four point, deployment torque, and latch-up shock tests). The test results confirm the feasibility of the proposed TSH mechanism.

Development of a non-explosive release actuator using shape memory alloy wire.

We have developed a newly designed non-explosive release actuator that can replace currently used release devices. The release mechanism is based on a separation mechanism, which relies on segmented nuts and a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire trigger. A quite fast and simple trigger operation is made possible through the use of SMA wire. This actuator is designed to allow a high preload with low levels of shock for the solar arrays of medium-size satellites. After actuation, the proposed device can be easily and instantly reset. Neither replacement, nor refurbishment of any components is necessary. According to the results of a performance test, the release time, preload capacity, and maximum shock level are 50 ms, 15 kN, and 350 G, respectively. In order to increase the reliability of the actuator, more than ten sets of performance tests are conducted. In addition, the proposed release actuator is tested under thermal vacuum and extreme vibration environments. No degradation or damage was observed during the two environment tests, and the release actuator was able to operate successfully. Considering the test results as a whole, we conclude that the proposed non-explosive release actuator can be applied reliably to intermediate-size satellites to replace existing release systems.