On bifurcation behavior of hard magnetic soft cantilevers

Abstract

Hard magnetic materials belong to a novel class of soft active materials with the capability of quick, large, and complex deformation via applying an external actuation. They have an extensive range of potential applications in soft robots, biomedical devices, and stretchable electronics, etc. Recently, investigation on the experimental and theoretical nonlinear mechanics of hard magnetic soft cantilevers has received notable considerations. In the available analyses, the most attention was paid to the non-bifurcation-type nonlinear mechanics of the system, and bifurcation was considered for a specific case. In the current study, the general trend of bifurcation-type nonlinear mechanics of hard magnetic soft cantilevers is introduced and the effective parameters on the occurrence of bifurcation are identified. Additionally, new trajectories due to the bifurcation and the corresponding workspace are presented. Eventually, a comprehensive comparative study between the new trajectories and workspace with those reported in the prior studies is carried out.