Harnessing snap-through transition waves in multistable metamaterials for fluid-transport applications

In the last decade, flexible mechanical metamaterials have demonstrated their great scientific potential. By exploiting mechanical instabilities in such structures, researchers have observed the propagation of transition waves yielding both fundamental implications (analog material to understand ferroelectric phase transitions, dislocation motion in crystals) and engineering applications (elective signal transmission, acoustic insulators). Most studies focus on the properties of the waves at the metamaterial level, without analyzing the details of the transition at the building block level. As a result, the mechanisms that govern the propagation of these waves remain poorly understood, which greatly limits their range of application. In this research project I propose a bottom-up approach to investigate this class of phenomena. Specifically, I will experimentally and numerically study the overlooked mechanisms of the snap-through instability of a single bistable arch. This will allow me to design a 1D array of such arches connected via rotating hinges in which an elastic snap-through wave can propagate. I will then put to test this new knowledge in the rarely explored domain of fluid-structure interaction with mechanical metamaterials. Specifically, I propose to exploit these elastic waves for fluid transport applications via peristaltic pumping. This project will yield general rules to design structures that propagate controlled transition waves, and will open new avenues for their use in interaction with fluids.