Vascularization with trees matched canopy to canopy: Diagonal channels with multiple sizes

The vascularization of smart materials with self-healing functionality requires the distribution Of fluids continuously and uniformly throughout the material volume. This paper shows how to configure the architecture such that the single stream that flows through the vascularized body has access to every volume element. The configuration is two trees matched canopy to canopy, and has freedom to morph in several directions: channel orientations (diagonal vs. orthogonal), channel sizes, and system sizes. Tree-tree configurations provide greater access when diagonal channels ire combined with orthogonal channels, and when multiple and optimized channel sizes are used. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.