Hybrid Additive Manufacturing of Shear‐Stiffening Elastomer Composites for Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Intelligent Wearable Applications

Abstract

Abstract Shear‐stiffening materials, renowned for their rate‐dependent behavior, hold immense potential for impact‐resistant applications but are often constrained by limited load‐bearing capacity under extreme conditions. In this study, a novel hybrid additive manufacturing strategy that successfully achieves anisotropic structural design of shear‐stiffening materials is proposed. In this strategy, fused deposition modeling (FDM) is synergistically combined with direct ink writing (DIW) to fabricate lattice‐structured soft‐hard phase elastomer composites (TPR‐SSE composites) with enhanced mechanical properties. Through quasistatic characterization and dynamic impact experiments, complemented by noncontact optical measurement and finite element simulation, the mechanical enhancement mechanisms imparted by the lattice architecture are systematically uncovered. The resulting composites exhibit exceptional load‐bearing capacity under quasistatic conditions and superior energy dissipation under dynamic impacts, making them ideal for advanced protective systems. Building on this, smart sports shoes featuring a deep‐learning‐based smart sensing module that integrates structural customizability, buffering capacity, and gait recognition, are developed. This work provides a transformative structure design approach to shear‐stiffening materials systems, paving the way for next‐generation intelligent wearable protection applications.