Methods for Digital Composites

Abstract

In exemplary implementations of this invention, a digital material comprising many discrete units is used to fabricate a sparse structure. The units are reversibly joined by elastic connections. Each unit comprises fiber-reinforced composite material. Each unit is small compared to the sparse structure as a whole. Likewise, in a sparse structure made from this digital material, the number of types of units is small compared to the total number of units. The digital material is anisotropic. This anisotropy may be due to different fiber orientations within each unit. Furthermore, different units in a single sparse structure may be oriented in different directions and in different, non-parallel planes. In some cases, the digital material is reinforced with carbon fibers, and connections between units are stronger than the units themselves. The small discrete units may be assembled into a strong, lightweight sparse structure, such as an airframe.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . The automated process of assembling a set of discrete units into a sparse structure, wherein:
 each unit comprises composite material, and   the automated process comprises reversibly connecting each of the units to at least one other of the units, by connections that are flexural locking mechanisms, pinned locking mechanisms, or compression clips.   
     
     
         2 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein some of the connections are elastic connections that are created, for each respective connection, by pushing a unit against the sparse structure when the sparse structure is partially assembled, the push being given by an automated assembly device that moves with one degree of freedom. 
     
     
         3 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein the sparse structure comprises pinned units, and in order to add a new pinned unit, an assembler device removes pins, attaches the new pinned unit, and reattaches the pins. 
     
     
         4 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein, due to elastic averaging, the automated process assembles a sparse structure with a precision (with respect to variation in absolute physical dimensions) that exceeds the precision (with respect to variation in absolute physical dimensions) of the units that comprise the sparse structure. 
     
     
         5 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein the process is controlled by a computer algorithm and the mechanical properties of the sparse structure produced by the process may be tuned by changing one or more of the following: (a) the ratio of different types of the units used to assemble the sparse structure, and (b) the geometry of the sparse structure. 
     
     
         6 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein the composite material is reinforced with fibers. 
     
     
         7 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the units in the set are layered, and for each layered unit, the composite material comprises multiple layers reinforced by fibers, each fiber having an orientation, the average orientation of the fibers in a layer defining an average fiber orientation for that that layer, and the average fiber orientation for at least some of the layers of that specific unit differing by more than 45 degrees from the average fiber orientation for at least some of the other layers of that specific unit. 
     
     
         8 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein at least one individual unit in the set has one or more holes through it, includes at least one elongate subelement that has at least a first and a second longitudinal end, includes some fibers that extend from a first region that is at or adjacent to the first longitudinal end to a second region that is at or adjacent to the second longitudinal end, and includes other fibers that are oriented in a loop around at least one of the one or more holes. 
     
     
         9 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein the connections between connected units occur at certain positions on and relative to the connected units, and wherein, in response to loading of the sparse structure, a reversible deformation of a lattice in the sparse structure occurs, said reversible deformation being due at least in part to reversible change in at least some of said positions at which said connections occur. 
     
     
         10 . The automated process of  claim 1 , further comprising connecting at least one actuator to the sparse structure, wherein the at least one actuator is configured for elastically deforming the structure. 
     
     
         11 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein at least some specific units in the set are elongate and each of these specific units transfer, or is adapted to transfer, axial load along its long dimension to other units that are connected to, and aligned orthogonally to, said specific unit. 
     
     
         12 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein some of the units in the set comprise elongated compression units, each of the compression units being adapted to elastically deform further, from its unloaded state, in response to compressive loading of a particular magnitude along its long dimension than to tension loading of the same magnitude along its long dimension. 
     
     
         13 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein some of the units in the set comprise elongated tension units, each of the tension units being adapted to elastically deform further, from its unloaded state, in response to tension loading of a specified magnitude along its long dimension than to compressive loading of the same specified magnitude along its long dimension. 
     
     
         14 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein some of the particular units in the set are elongate and these particular units may be elastically connected by snapping the longitudinal end of one unit, or the longitudinal ends of multiple units, into a notch in another unit, which notch has a chamfered edge. 
     
     
         15 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein the sparse structure comprises nodes and elongate components, each of the nodes is connected, or adapted to be connected, to three of the elongate components, in each case at a point of connection, which point of connection for any particular one of the elongate components is at or adjacent to a longitudinal end of that particular elongate component, each of the elongate components has a longitudinal axis along its long dimension, which longitudinal axis may be curved or may be straight, and the length of the longitudinal axis of each of elongate components is the same. 
     
     
         16 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of units in the set are crossbar units, which crossbar units are reversibly connected, or adapted to be reversibly connected, by elastic connections, each of which elastic connections is formed by a compression clip clipping together longitudinal ends of five crossbar units, four of the five crossbar units being aligned in a plane that is orthogonal to the long dimension of the fifth of the five crossbar units. 
     
     
         17 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein the sparse structure is adapted to disintegrate, without exceeding the elastic limits of the units in the structure. 
     
     
         18 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein a first subset of the units differs, in chemical composition or material property, from a second subset of the units. 
     
     
         19 . The automated process of  claim 1 , wherein some of the units include electrical conductors and others of the units do not include electrical conductors.