Shape morphing fins for frost removal

Abstract

A shape-morphing fin includes a fixed portion, a multistable portion, a coupling portion, and a vibration source. The multistable portion functions as a negative stiffness element. The multistable portion is selectively movable between a first position and a second position. The movement between first position and the second position is configured to remove the ice formation from the structure. The coupling portion couples the fixed portion to the multistable portion. The vibration source is configured to produce a resonant vibration to engage the movement of the multistable portion from the first position to the second position.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shape-morphing fin configured to remove an ice formation from a structure, wherein the shape-morphing fin comprises:
 a fixed portion;   a multistable portion that is selectively movable between in a first position and a second position, wherein the movement between first position and the second position is configured to remove the ice formation from the structure;   a coupling portion that couples the fixed portion to the multistable portion;   a vibration source coupled to at least one of the fixed portion, the multistable portion, and the coupling portion, the vibration source configured to produce a vibrational frequency that actuates the multistable portion.   
     
     
         2 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 , further comprising an aperture disposed between the fixed portion and the multistable portion. 
     
     
         3 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed portion includes a pair of outer strips divided by the multistable portion. 
     
     
         4 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed portion and the multistable portion are constructed from the same material. 
     
     
         5 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 4 , wherein the fixed portion and the multistable portion are constructed from a metallic material. 
     
     
         6 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 , wherein the multistable portion is disposed substantially in-line with the fixed portion in the first position. 
     
     
         7 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 , wherein the multistable portion is disposed substantially out-of-line with the fixed portion in the second position. 
     
     
         8 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 , wherein an angle is formed between a first plane of the fixed portion and a second plane by bending the fixed portion. 
     
     
         9 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 8 , wherein the angle is between around ten degrees to around sixty degrees. 
     
     
         10 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 , wherein the multistable portion is bistable. 
     
     
         11 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 , wherein the multistable portion is metastable. 
     
     
         12 . A heat pump with the shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         13 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 , further comprising a controller communicatively coupled to the vibration source, and the controller is configured to selectively actuate the multistable portion between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         14 . The shape-morphing fin of  claim 1 , where the vibrational frequency is between one-tenth hertz to one-thousand hertz. 
     
     
         15 . A method of manufacturing a shape-morphing fin configured to remove an ice formation from a structure, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a fixed portion, a multistable portion, a coupling portion, and a controller, the coupling portion couples the fixed portion to the multistable portion, the multistable portion is selectively movable between a first position and a second position, the movement between the first position and the second position is configured to remove the ice formation from the structure;   forming an angle in the fixed portion; and   coupling the controller to at least one of the fixed portion, the multistable portion, and the coupling portion.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of forming the angle in the fixed portion includes utilizing a press. 
     
     
         17 . A method of using a shape-morphing fin configured to remove an ice formation from a structure, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a fixed portion, a multistable portion, a coupling portion, and a controller, the coupling portion couples the fixed portion to the multistable portion, the controller is coupled to at least one of the fixed portion, the multistable portion, and the coupling portion, the multistable portion is selectively movable between a first position and a second position, the movement between the first position and the second position is configured to remove the ice formation from the structure;   actuating the multistable portion through the use of the controller, thereby engaging the movement of the multistable portion;   removing the ice formation from the structure.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising a step of providing a heating element after the step of providing the fixed portion, the multistable portion, the coupling portion, and the controller, but before the step of actuating the multistable portion. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising a step of heating the ice formation through the use of the heating element after the step of providing the heating element, but before the step of actuating the multistable portion. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the step of actuating the multistable portion through the use of the controller includes engaging a vibration source to provide a vibrational frequency to the multistable portion.