arXiv subjects

Dotan Ilssar

Publications and source records attributed to Dotan Ilssar.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Additive Manufacturing-Facilitated Blow Molding for Functional Thin-Walled Polymeric Structures

Thin-walled structures capable of large, reversible deformation are key to multistable structures, origami, kirigami, and soft robotics. However, conventional fabrication techniques, including 3D printing, casting, and laser cutting, suffer from poor surface quality, low durability, complex processing steps, and restricted geometric freedom, hindering the repeatable production of thin-walled, continuous structures. Here, an additive manufacturing-facilitated blow molding (AM-BM) approach is introduced, combining the design flexibility of additive manufacturing with the robustness of blow molding. By replacing metal molds with 3D-printed resin ones, AM-BM enables rapid, low-cost fabrication of thin-walled polymeric components with tunable geometry and controllable wall thickness across diverse thermoplastic materials. The thickness control allows thin-walled components to function either as rigid load-bearing elements or as compliant hinges that permit reversible deformation. The versatility of AM-BM is demonstrated through representative examples: multistable structures with geometry-controlled buckling and rich reconfigurability; origami and kirigami structures with extensive design freedom, scalable complexity, and uniform mechanical properties; and soft actuators and robots with ultrahigh load-to-weight ratios, rapid response, and scalable design. Altogether, AM-BM provides an efficient and versatile method for creating thin-walled structures that combine geometric freedom, mechanical functionality, and scalable production.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2025

Diffusioosmotic flow in a soft microfluidic configuration induces fluid-structure instability

Diffusioosmotic flow arises in microfluidic configurations due to solute concentration gradients. In soft microfluidic channels, internal pressure gradients generated by diffusioosmotic flow to conserve mass result in elastic deformation of the channel walls, triggering fluid-structure interaction. In this work, we analyze the fluid-structure interaction between diffusioosmotic flow of an electrolyte solution and a deformable microfluidic channel. We provide insight into the physical behavior of the system by developing a reduced-order model, in which a viscous film is confined between a rigid bottom surface and an elastic top substrate, represented as a rigid plate connected to a linear spring. Considering a slender configuration and applying the lubrication approximation, we derive a set of two-way coupled governing equations describing the evolution of the fluidic film thickness and the solute concentration. Our theoretical predictions show that above a certain concentration gradient threshold, negative pressures induced by diffusioosmotic flow give rise to fluid-structure instability, causing the elastic top substrate to collapse onto the bottom surface. We employ theoretical analysis to elucidate the underlying physical mechanisms for the onset of fluid-structure instability by performing a linear stability analysis of the system and identifying three distinct dynamic regimes. We validate our theoretical results with finite-element simulations and find excellent agreement. The understanding of this instability is of fundamental importance for improving the control and design of microfluidic systems driven by diffusioosmotic flow and containing soft elements.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

Dynamics of fixed-volume pinned film -- dealing with a non-self-adjoint thin film problem

The use of thin liquid films has expanded beyond lubrication and coatings, and into applications in actuators and adaptive optical elements. In contrast to their predecessors, whose dynamics can be typically captured by modelling infinite or periodic films, these applications are characterized by a finite amount of liquid in an impermeable domain. The global mass conservation constraint, together with common boundary conditions (e.g., pinning) create quantitatively and qualitatively different dynamics than those of infinite films. Mathematically, this manifests itself as a non-self-adjoint problem. This work presents a combined theoretical and experimental study for this problem. We provide a time-dependent closed-form analytical solution for the linearized non-self-adjoint system that arises from these boundary conditions. We highlight that, in contrast to self-adjoint problems, here special care should be given to deriving the adjoint problem to reconstruct the solution based on the eigenfunctions properly. We compare these solutions with those obtained for permeable and periodic boundary conditions, representing common models for self-adjoint thin-film problems. We show that while the initial dynamics are nearly identical, the boundary conditions eventually affect the film deformation as well as its response time. To experimentally illustrate the dynamics and to validate the theoretical model, we fabricated an experimental setup that subjects a thin liquid film to a prescribed normal force distribution through dielectrophoresis, and used high-frame-rate digital holography to measure the film deformation in real-time. The experiments agree well with the model and confirm that confined films exhibit different behaviour which could not be predicted by existing models.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Dynamics of reconfigurable straw-like elements

In this paper, we discuss the dynamic modeling of fluid-filled straw-like elements consisting of serially interconnected elastic frusta with both axisymmetric and antisymmetric degrees of freedom, assuming planar motion. Under appropriate conditions each sub-structure has four stable equilibrium states. This gives the system under investigation the ability to remain stable in a large number of complex states, which is a vital ability for myriad of applications, including reconfigurable structures and soft robots. The theoretical model explains the dynamics of a single straw-like element in a discrete manner, considering inertial, damping, and gravitational effects, while taking into account the nonlinear elasticity of the elastic frusta, and assuming hydrostatic behavior of the entrapped fluid. After identifying the geometric and elastic parameters of the theoretical model based on relatively simple experiments, the model is validated compared to numerical simulations and experiments. The numerical simulations validate the theoretical elasticity of the elastic frusta, whereas the overall dynamic behavior of the system and the influence of unmodeled fluidic effects are examined experimentally. It is demonstrated both theoretically and empirically that straw-like elements cannot be adequately modeled using simple uniaxial deformations. In addition, the experimental validation indicates that the suggested model can accurately capture their overall dynamics.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Viscous flow-fields in hyperelastic Chambers

Viscous flows in hyperelastic chambers are relevant to many biological phenomena such as inhalation into the lung's acinar region and medical applications such as the inflation of a small chamber in minimally invasive procedures. In this work, we analytically study the viscous flow and elastic deformation created due to inflation of such spherical chambers from one or two inlets. Our investigation considers the shell's constitutive hyperelastic law coupled with the flow dynamics inside the chamber. For the case of a narrow tube filling a larger chamber, the pressure within the chamber involves a large spatially uniform part, and a small order correction. We derive a closed-form expression for the inflation dynamics, accounting for the effect of elastic bi-stability. Interestingly, the obtained pressure distribution shows that the maximal pressure on the chamber's surface is greater than the pressure at the entrance to the chamber. The calculated series solution of the velocity and pressure fields during inflation is verified by using a fully coupled finite element scheme, resulting in excellent agreement. Our results allow estimating the chamber's viscous resistance at different pressures, thus enabling us to model the process of inflation and deflation.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

On the inflation and deflation dynamics of liquid-filled, hyperelastic balloons

We derive a reduced-order model describing the inflation and deflation dynamics of a liquid-filled hyperelastic balloon, focusing on inviscid laminar flow and the extensional motion of the balloon. We initially study the flow and pressure fields for dictated motion of the solid, which throughout deflation are obtained by solving the potential problem. However, during inflation, flow separation creates a jet within the balloon, requiring a different approach. The analyses of both flow regimes lead to a simple piecewise model, describing the fluidic pressure during inflation and deflation, which is then verified by finite element computations. We then use a variational approach to derive the equation governing the balloon's dynamics, yielding a nonlinear hybrid oscillator equation, describing the interaction between the extensional mode of the balloon, and the entrapped fluid. Analytical and graphical investigations of the suggested model are presented, shedding light on its static and dynamic behaviour under different operating conditions. Our suggested model and its underlying assumptions are verified utilizing a fully coupled finite element scheme, showing excellent agreement.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2016

A rotational traveling wave based levitation device - Modeling, design, and control

Described is a device acting on an acoustically levitated object by manipulating the pressure and flow of a thin layer of air such that its rotation can be precisely controlled without mechanical contact. Virtual work analysis assists in simplifying the multi-actuator control problem into a problem governed by a controllable parameter. Actuation is done with a vibrating ring capable of producing ultrasonic standing and traveling waves, creating the acoustic excitation that affects the pressure in a thin, intermediate layer of gas. A distinctive vibration pattern is required to generate the temporal and spatial pressure field of the squeezed air layer that gives rise to both acoustic levitation force and rotational torque. Described are the physical and design development stages leading to an optimized structure, all followed by verifying and dynamics-calibration experiments. Moreover, by precisely controlling the ratio of standing and traveling waves in a closed-loop, one can affect the shear forces applied by the squeezed air layer, thus creating a non-contacting manipulation mechanism. An over-actuated set-up is converted via an algebraic transformation, into a simplified single control-parameter problem. The transformation ties the standing waves ratio, and hence the rotational torque, to the amplitudes and phases of the actuators. This arrangement leads to an effective closed loop methodology that was implemented experimentally showing good performance and exhibiting rapid angular positioning.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2016

Modelling and closed loop control of near-field acoustically levitated objects

The present paper introduces a novel approach for modelling the governing, slow dynamics of near-field acoustically levitated objects. This model is sufficiently simple and concise to enable designing a closed-loop controller, capable of accurate vertical positioning of a carried object. The near-field acoustic levitation phenomenon exploits the compressibility, the nonlinearity and the viscosity of the gas trapped between a rapidly oscillating surface and a freely suspended planar object, to elevate its time averaged pressure above the ambient pressure. By these means, the vertical position of loads weighing up to several kilograms can be varied between dozens and hundreds of micrometers. The simplified model developed in this paper is a second order ordinary differential equation where the height-dependent stiffness and damping terms of the gas layer are derived explicitly. This simplified model replaces a traditional model consisting of the equation of motion of the levitated object, coupled to a nonlinear partial differential equation, accounting for the behavior of the entrapped gas. Due to the relatively simple form of the model developed here, it constitutes a convenient foundation for model based control algorithms, governing the slow dynamics of near-field acoustically levitated objects. Indeed, based on the former, a height dependent, gain scheduled PID controller is developed and verified numerically and experimentally, both providing satisfying results.

physics.flu-dyn↗