Parametric Model-Based Design of Moldable Active Cargo Blankets Using Internally Tiled Pneumatic Surfaces

Abstract Securing and transporting cargo is common in vehicles of all types; however, the current cargo retention approaches (e.g., cargo nets, storage bins, and elastic cords) do not always provide adequate constraint to keep items securely in place while driving. One promising approach is to employ internally tiled pneumatic surface technology to design a moldable active cargo blanket, which can be draped over target objects, shaped into myriad forms, and rigidized on demand to ensure that the cargo items are effectively constrained. This article introduces a model-based approach for systematically designing pneumatically activated moldable active cargo blankets, providing tailorable moldability performance to cater to different vehicle segments, styles, and/or intended customer experiences. The architecture of moldable active cargo blankets comprises layers of low-profile and uniformly distributed rigid tiles within an airtight bladder, enabling transition from soft to rigid states as a function of vacuum pressure applied, providing moldability technology capability, which can be decomposed into three key technology subcapabilities: drapability, shapability, and rigidizability. The performance of each subcapability can be quantified in its respective operation states, draping, shaping, and rigidizing, by developing multiple engineering performance metrics characterizing each state. A half-factorial design-of-experiment investigating the relationship between the tile array design variables on these quantifiable metrics is conducted. A predictive modeling approach using empirical data to understand the mechanically complex behavior of moldable active cargo blanket is developed, relating tile array design variables to performance outcomes. This enables an algebraic tailoring method for selecting a specific set of tile array design variable values to balance the tradeoffs among metrics to obtain intended design outcomes, which is demonstrated through three distinct design contexts. The work in this article provides the enabling basis for the moldable active cargo blanket application as well as a more general technology basis on moldability.