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Biomimetic Soft Robotic Peristaltic Pumping System for Coolant Liquid Transport

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Technologies for economic and functional lightweight design

Abstract

In nature and technology, liquids are transported and distributed in a directed manner via pumping systems. Technical pumps often show signs of wear due to abrasion on moving parts, erosion and liquid contamination, which can lead to damage and unwanted noise. Innovative pump systems for electro mobility applications should have particularly low noise emission. In the course of evolution, various solutions have emerged in nature and can serve as a source of inspiration for the development of biomimetic pumping systems. In the last decade, the development of various biomimetic peristaltic systems highlight this pronounced biomimetic potential. These systems are based on principles behind bowel and esophageal peristalsis and incorporated within soft robots and medical devices. The main goal of this study was the biomimetic implementation of peristalsis into a flexible, silent, robust, energy efficient, space-saving and low cost technical application for the usage in combustion engines, electric engines and cooling systems. The biomimetic pump of the present study is based on the esophageal peristalsis and enables an easy, quiet and safe transport of a variety of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids with variable viscosities. The characterization of individual actuators as well as the entire peristaltic pump system in terms of closing rate and volume flow proved the influence of the actuator frequency and different peristaltic actuation patterns on the generated flow rate. The results show that the biomimetic flexible and elastic self-priming peristaltic pump based on silicone achieves sufficient flow rates of more than 250 l/h and thus offers an excellent alternative to conventional technical pumps in the field of electro mobility.

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Acknowledgements

We thank various colleagues within the framework of the cluster of excellence ‘Living Materials Systems (livMatS)’, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2193/1 – 390951807, for inspiring scientific discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Biomechanics Group, Faculty of Biology, Botanic Garden University Freiburg, Germany

    Falk J. Tauber, Tom Masselter & Thomas Speck

  2. FMF – Freiburg Materials Research Center, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

    Falk J. Tauber, Tom Masselter & Thomas Speck

  3. Cluster of Excellence Living Materials Systems (livMatS), University of Freiburg, Germany

    Falk J. Tauber & Thomas Speck

Authors
  1. Falk J. Tauber
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  2. Tom Masselter
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  3. Thomas Speck
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Correspondence to Falk J. Tauber .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

    Klaus Dröder

  2. Institute for Engineering Design, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

    Thomas Vietor

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Tauber, F.J., Masselter, T., Speck, T. (2021). Biomimetic Soft Robotic Peristaltic Pumping System for Coolant Liquid Transport. In: Dröder, K., Vietor, T. (eds) Technologies for economic and functional lightweight design. Zukunftstechnologien für den multifunktionalen Leichtbau. Springer Vieweg, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-62924-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-62924-6_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer Vieweg, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-62923-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-62924-6

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