Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

John C Ulicny

Mark A Golden

Alan L Browne

Nancy L Johnson

Gary Lee Jones

Keith S Snavely

Nilesh D Mankame

Chandra S Namuduri

Anthony L Smith

Ukpai I Ukpai

Tao Xie

William R Rodgers

Yang-Tse Cheng

Jan Henning Aase

Mark A Kramarczyk

Hamid Ghavami Kia

Paul Edward Krajewski

Yang T Cheng

Robert Augustine Ottaviani

Xingcheng Xiao

Xiujie Gao

Michael D Hanna

James C O'Kane

Paul W Alexander

Mark William Verbrugge

Adrian B Chernoff

Christopher Paul Henry

Robin Stevenson

Blair E Carlson

Sanjeev Manubhai Naik

Thomas Arthur Perry

William B Barvosa-Carter

John Neal Owens

Balarama Vempaty Murty

Andrew Mark Mance

Ingrid A Rousseau

Norman Mark Wereley

Jihui Yang

Thomas J Chapaton

Leslie Momoda

John Anthony Cafeo

James Thomas Embach

Thomas B Stanford

Pablo D Zavattieri

Shivaram Ac

Jessica A Schroeder

Kenneth A Strom

Peter Maxwell Sarosi

James Y Khoury

Wei Hu

John Andrew Shaw

Prabhakar R Marur

Rainer A Glaser

Jie Tong

Daniel J Klingenberg

Wangyang Ni

Charlene A Hayden

Jonathan Darab

Man Zhang

Young Tai Choi

Min Mao

Brian L McDermott

Benjamin Reedlunn

Ravindra Brammajyosula

Carol Ann Perelli

Tadeusz B Pietrzyk

One variation includes a method including using a reversible dry adhesive system to reversibly couple a first substrate to a second substrate. One variation includes a method including using a reversible dry adhesive system to reversibly couple a first substrate to a second substrate during building or reconfiguring a product.

Applications of a reversible dry adhesive system

A method of reversibly connecting two substrates includes positioning an electrically conductive adhesive connector including a shape memory polymer (SMP) between the substrates, heating the connector to a temperature higher than the SMP transition temperature, applying a load and cooling the connector below the transition temperature to transform the connector to a conforming shape to form an adhesive bond attaching the substrates and providing an electrical connection therebetween. The method may include disconnecting the connector from the substrates by heating the connector above the SMP transition temperature, which may disrupt the electrical connection between the substrates. The connector may be a battery tab connector configured to connect a battery cell to another battery cell or a terminal. The connector may be releasable from the battery tab such that the battery tab is reusable after removal of the connector. The connector may be multi-layer and generally arcuate in a permanent shape.

Reversible electrical connector and method

A clutch for selective transmission of torque and power, utilizing pairs of coded arrays of permanent magnets affixed respectively to the driving member and the driven member. A shape memory alloy actuator brings to driving member and the driven member into proximity to engage the clutch via a higher-order mutual magnetic correspondence between the coded magnetic regions of the permanent magnet arrays. Also provided is a clutch having a magnetorheological fluid between the driving member and the driven member, to increase the torque and power transfer through the fluid when its viscosity is increased by the magnetic field of the arrays in proximity. Sets of corresponding teeth on the driving member and driven member mesh when the rotation of the members is synchronized, providing positive direct drive to prolong the service life of the fluid.

Hybrid coded magnets and SMA positive drive clutch

A magnetorheological fluid-based device and method may include the use of magnetorheological (MR) fluid, a primary magnetic field to control the viscosity of the fluid, and a secondary magnetic field to reduce clumping of ferromagnetic particles.

Magnetorheological fluid-based device and method for use

A component defines at least one chamber that is confined by the component. The chamber has an inner surface. A filler material is disposed inside the chamber. Relative movement between the inner surface and the filler material helps dampen vibrations and other oscillations if and when the component is vibrated.

Chamber with filler material to dampen vibrating components

One exemplary embodiment includes a method comprising providing a tire having a component constructed and arranged to cause at least one portion of the tire to have a first stiffness or resistance to force exerted thereon under a first condition and a second stiffness or resistance to force exerted thereon under a second condition and selectively causing the first or second condition to occur.

Tire and method of selectively altering or controlling properties or characteristics thereof under varying conditions

A device for concealing a seam between a first abutting surface of a first article and a second abutting surface of a second article, the device includes a seam concealment body fixedly attached to a selected one or both of the first abutting surface and the second abutting surface, wherein the seam concealment body comprises an active material, wherein the active material is configured to transition between a first stiffness and a second stiffness upon receipt of an activation signal, wherein the transition permits movement of a selected one or both of the first abutting surface and the second abutting surface such that the seam concealment body deforms with the movement of the surface to maintain concealment of the seam.

Active material based seam concealment devices and methods of use thereof

Magnetorheological (MR) fluids are disclosed herein. An example of the MR fluid includes a carrier fluid, magnetic particles disposed in the carrier fluid, and non-magnetic particles disposed in the carrier fluid. The non-magnetic particles are particles of a shape memory alloy having an Austenite finish temperature (A) that is lower than a temperature encountered in an application in which the MR fluid is used so that the shape memory alloy exhibits stress-induced superelasticity.

Magnetorheological fluids including shape memory alloys

A magnetorheological composition includes a mixture of a carrier medium and a particle component disposed in the carrier medium. The particle component includes a magnetic material and a nonmagnetic material. The nonmagnetic material is present in the particle component in an amount of from about 5 to about 95 parts by volume based on 100 parts by volume of the particle component. The particle component is present in the magnetorheological composition in an amount of from about 20 to about 80 parts by volume based on 100 parts by volume of the magnetorheological composition. The magnetorheological composition has an on-state yield stress at magnetic saturation of from about 0.1 to about 100 kPa.

Magnetorheological compositions including nonmagnetic material

A microfibrous article includes a substrate and a plurality of magnetic fibers disposed on the substrate. Each of the plurality of magnetic fibers is individually sheathed with a polymer and includes a plurality of magnetic particles. Further, each of the plurality of magnetic fibers is aligned along a magnetic field and not connected by the polymer to any adjacent magnetic fiber. A method of forming the microfibrous article is also disclosed.

Microfibrous article and method of forming same

A device for concealing a seam between a first and second surface includes a seam concealment body having a body surface, the body overlaying and attached to a first surface and a second surface, the body surface being substantially co-planar with a portion of the first and second surfaces, the seam concealment body configured to transition between a first shape and a second shape, wherein the transition permits movement of one or both of the first surface and the second surface such that the seam concealment body forms a hinge. The device also includes an active material in operative communication with the seam concealment body, wherein the active material is configured to undergo a change in at least one property upon receipt of an activation signal, wherein the change in at least one property is effective to transition the seam body from the first shape to the second shape.

Active material based seam concealment device

A cable adapted for use as an actuator, adaptive structural member, or damper, includes a plurality of longitudinally inter-engaged and cooperatively functioning shape memory alloy wires.

Shape memory alloy cables

Disclosed herein is a strut assemblycomprising a pistonin slideable communication with the housing; an actuatorin operative communication with the piston, wherein the actuatorcomprises a shape memory material and is adapted to control the displacement of the piston. Disclosed herein too is a method of operating a strut assemblycomprising displacing a suspended bodyin operative communication with a piston; and activating an actuatorin operative communication with the piston, wherein the actuatorcomprises a shape memory material.

Customizable strut assemblies and articles that employ the same

An active material assembly is provided having a thermally-activated active material apparatus with an elongated, non-planar shape and a thermoelectric device in thermal contact therewith. The thermoelectric device is characterized by a thermal differential when current flows through the device to activate the thermally-activated active material apparatus, thereby altering at least one dimension thereof. Multiple discrete thermoelectric devices may be in thermal contact with the active material apparatus and electrically in parallel with one another. The active material apparatus, which may be multiple active material components, each with one of the thermoelectric devices thereon, may be encased within a flexible electronic-insulating material to form an articulated active material assembly that can achieve different geometric shapes by separately activating one or more of the different thermoelectric devices. A method of fabricating an articulated active material assembly is also provided.

Active material apparatus with activating thermoelectric device thereon and method of fabrication

A fluid includes a liquid medium having iron particles mixed therein. An organic phosphonate based coating is established on the iron particles. The organic phosphonate based coating does not substantially include phosphonic acid groups at an outer surface thereof, and increases oxidation resistance of the iron particles. A method of making such a liquid medium is also disclosed herein.

Iron powder phosphonate coating

Growing community of inventors

Oxford, MI, United States of America

John C Ulicny