A kinematics-based single-actuator setup for constant-curvature bending tests in extremely large deformations

Thanks to the extreme deformability, low weight and high strength, thin elements, such as glass/carbon fiber composites shells, or chemically-strengthened glass laminae, are increasingly used for different engineering applications, ranging from deployable space structures and adaptive surfaces for architecture, to flexible electronics and wearable devices. Since an accurate design must be based on reliable values of the material strength, many research efforts have been made in recent years to propose innovative methods specifically devoted to the evaluation of the bending response of highly deformable elements. One of the most reliable procedures seems to be the clamp bending test, originally proposed for thin glass elements. The test consists in prescribing a rotation on two opposite edges of a rectangular thin plate, while adjusting the distance between the supports so to obtain a deformation into an arc of circle. If, from the analytical point of view, this is very effective because it allows to determine the material strength by using very simple formulae, from the practical point of view, its major limitation is that it requires to synchronize the motors and actuators governing the motion of translational and rotational degrees of freedom. Here, an innovative design is presented, characterized by a mechanical/kinematic interconnection between translation and rotation, so that it is possible to perform a clamp bending test in extremely large deformations by controlling just one degree of freedom, i.e., using only one actuator.