A Prenecking Strategy Makes Stretched Membranes With Clamped Ends Wrinkle-Free

Abstract

For both polyimide membranes in aerospace and graphene membranes in nanoelectronics with surface accuracy requirements, wrinkles due to the extreme out-of-plane flexibility yield inverse influences on the properties and applications of membranes. In this study, on the basis of discrete topology optimization, we propose a prenecking strategy by adopting elliptical free edges to suppress the stretch-induced wrinkling. This prenecking strategy with the computer-aided-design (CAD)-ready format is versatile to eliminate wrinkles in stretched membranes with clamped ends and achieve wrinkle-free performances. The wrinkle-free capability of the prenecking strategy, capable of satisfying the shape accuracy requirements, indicates that by suffering insignificant area loss, concerning of wrinkling problems in membranes is no further required. As compared with the existing researches focusing on studying wrinkling behaviors, the prenecking strategy offers a promising solution to the stretch-induced wrinkling problem by eliminating wrinkles through design optimization.