Chapter 2 - Advanced multifunctional structures for future smart cities

Abstract

Recent advances in multifunctional material technologies have paved the way for the creation of innovative multifunctional structures. Exploring multifunctional structures with advanced functionalities is a major step toward a new era of autonomous structural systems for future smart cities. Autonomous structures can respond to their environment, self-monitor their condition, process and store information, and self-program themselves. This chapter presents the state-of-the-art technologies required to build multifunctional material and structures. The central role of structure-dominated, scale-independent architected materials in developing novel types of performance-tailored multifunctional structures is highlighted. We then present a concept toward the next stage of the technological revolution in multifunctional structure science where the so-called engineered self-aware structures can sense, empower, and program themselves using their constituent components. Experimental studies are conducted using composite beam prototypes designed under the proposed concept. We highlight the capabilities of these multifunctional structures to serve as mechanically tunable, self-powered distributed sensing networks with energy harvesting functionally for smart cities infrastructure systems.