Mechanical and shape recovery characterization of conventional and shape memory polymer 4D printed sandwich composition specimens

Shape memory polymers are smart materials that remember their original shape and respond to external stimuli. They have tremendous applications in engineering and bio-medical fields. Having lower mechanical strength and high cost opens the scope to work on creating certain structures as a combination of conventional and shape memory polymers. Conventional and shape memory sandwich structures are suitable for working with various material combinations. The present study deals with developing 4D-printed conventional and shape memory sandwich structured combinations to understand their mechanical, shape memory, and failure phenomena. The present study showed the feasibility of using such combinations with improved mechanical properties with a small reduction in shape recovery. Further, the present study showed the delamination of conventional and shape memory polymer layers after a few cycles of shape recovery when subjected to severe bending deformation.