Computational Design of Electrode Networks for Preferentially Aligned Short Fiber Composite Component Fabrication via Dielectrophoresis

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is often used to identify local stress/strain concentrations where a component is likely to fail. In order to reduce the degree of strain concentration, component thickness can be increased in those regions, or a stronger material can be used. In short fiber reinforced composite materials, strength and stiffness can be increased through proper fiber alignment. The field-aided microtailoring (FAiMTa) process is one promising method for doing this. FAiMTa uses principles of dielectrophoresis to preferentially align particles or fibers within a matrix. To achieve the preferred fiber orientation, an interdigitated electrode network must be integrated into the mold halves which can be fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM) processes. However, the process of determining the preferred fiber arrangements and electrode locations can be very challenging. This paper presents algorithms to semi-automate the interdigitated electrode design process. The algorithm has been implemented in the Solidworks CAD system and is demonstrated in this paper.