Sustained Chaotic Oscillations of a Liquid Crystal Elastomer Fiber-Based Collision System

Sustained chaotic motion systems based on active materials have potential applications in energy harvesting, artificial hearts, medical instruments and other fields. This paper proposes a novel light-fueled sustained chaotic oscillation system consisting of a Liquid Crystal Elastomer (LCE) fiber, a mass ball and a rigid substrate. Under periodic illumination, the fiber in the system expands and contracts continuously, as the mass ball collides with the rigid substrate. Ultimately, the system achieves sustained oscillation motion through the fiber contraction work to compensate for the energy dissipation. With the help of the dynamic constitutive model of LCE, the nonlinear dynamic theoretical model of the system is established. The numerical results demonstrate that the fiber can oscillate in two modes, i.e. periodic oscillation and chaotic oscillation, under periodic illumination. The corresponding mechanisms of sustained periodic oscillation and chaotic oscillation of the fiber system are revealed. Moreover, the effect of system parameters on the sustained oscillation behavior is studied in depth, and the effect of parameter variations on the oscillation mode is illustrated by bifurcation diagrams. The research results of this work can deepen the understanding of chaotic motion and provide ideas for chaotic system design and chaotic machine development.