Magttice: a lattice model for hard-magnetic soft materials

Area of Science:

• Computational Materials Science
• Soft Robotics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Magnetic actuation is crucial for soft robotics, biomedical devices, and metamaterials.
• A need exists for accessible and efficient modeling tools for interdisciplinary research in magnetic actuation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel lattice model, 'magttice,' for simulating hard-magnetic soft materials.
• To enable efficient and parallelized simulations of magnetically driven smart structures.

Main Methods:

• Developed the 'magttice' model by separating elastic deformation energy into lattice stretching and volumetric change.
• Implemented the model within the Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS) for parallel computations.
• Coupled 'magttice' with the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) for fluid-structure interaction simulations.

Main Results:

• Validated the 'magttice' model using ferromagnetic beam structures.
• Demonstrated its application in simulating smart structures, including origami plates and magnetic robots.
• Successfully simulated the locomotion of a magnetic robot in water, mimicking jellyfish movement.

Conclusions:

• The 'magttice' model provides an efficient platform for mechanical modeling and simulation of magnetic soft materials.
• Facilitates the rational design and analysis of magnetically actuated smart structures and devices.
• Highlights the potential for advanced simulations in soft robotics and biomedical applications.