openAccessArticle: Falsecover date: 2015-12-01pii: S0167-6636(15)00149-0Harvest Date: 2016-01-06 13:08:20issueName:Page Range: 35-35href scidir: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167663615001490pubType

Dielectric elastomer materials are ideal candidates for developing high-agility micro air vehicles due to their electric field–induced deformation. Consequently, the aero-structural response and control authority of the dielectric elastomer material, VHB 4910, are characterized on an elliptical membrane wing. An experimental membrane wing platform was constructed by stretching VHB 4910 over a rigid elliptical wing-frame. The low Reynolds number (chord Reynolds number < 106) and aerodynamics of the elliptical wing were characterized when different electrostatic fields were applied to the membrane. We observe an overall increase in lift with maximum gains of 20% at an applied voltage of 4.5 kV and demonstrate the ability to delay stall. The time-averaged aerodynamic surface pressure is also investigated by comparing sting balance data and membrane deformation measured using visual image correlation. The experimental results are compared to a nonlinear finite element membrane model to further understand the effects of aerodynamic load and electric fields on membrane displacements. Model predictions of surface pressure provide insight into how the electrostrictive constitutive relations influence the fluid–structure interactions of the membrane. This is validated by comparing lift predictions from the model with time-averaged wind tunnel lift measurements near stall.

Electrically controlled adaptive materials are ideal candidates for developing high agility micro-air-vehicles (MAV) due to their intrinsic multi-functionality. The dielectric elastomer VHB 4910 is one such material, where deformation occurs with an applied electric field. Here, we study the aerostructural response and control authority of a VHB 4910 membrane wing. An experimental membrane-wing platform was constructed by stretching VHB 4910 over a rigid elliptical wing-frame. The low Reynolds number (chord Reynolds number < 106) aerodynamics of the elliptical wing were characterized with different electrostatic fields applied. We observe an overall increase in lift with maximum gains of 20% at 4.5 kV, and demonstrate the ability to delay stall. Aerodynamic effects are investigated with membrane displacement and strain data obtained through visual image correlation (VIC). The VIC data is compared to a finite deforming finite element shell model to help understand structural shape changes under electrostatic fields and low Reynolds number aerodynamic flows. The model is formulated to directly input three dimensional membrane displacements to quantify aerodynamic loads on the electroactive membrane surface.

A macrofiber piezoelectric composite has been developed for boundary layer management of micro-air vehicles (MAVs). Specifically, a piezoelectric composite that is capable of self-sensing and controlling flow has been modeled, designed, fabricated, and tested in wind tunnel studies to quantify performance characteristics, such as the velocity field response to actuation, which is relevant for actively managing boundary layers (laminar and transition flow control). A nonlinear piezoelectric plate model was utilized to design the active structure for flow control. The dynamic properties of the piezoelectric composite actuator were also evaluated in situ during wind tunnel experiments to quantify sensing performance. Results based on velocity field measurements and unsteady pressure measurements show that these piezoelectric macrofiber composites can sense the state of flow above the surface and provide sufficient control authority to manipulate the flow conditions for transition from laminar to turbulent flow.

Macro Fiber Composites (MFC) are planar actuators comprised of PZT fibers embedded in an epoxy matrix that is sandwiched between electrodes. Due to their construction, they exhibit significant durability and flexibility in addition to being lightweight and providing broadband inputs. They are presently being considered for a range of applications including positioning and control of membrane mirrors and configurable aerospace structures. However, they also exhibit hysteresis and constitutive nonlinearities that must be incorporated in models to achieve the full potential of the devices. In this paper, we discuss the development of a model that quantifies the hysteresis and constitutive nonlinearities in a manner that promotes subsequent control design. The constitutive model is constructed using the homogenized energy framework for ferroelectric hysteresis and used to develop resulting system models. The performance of the models is validated with experimental data.

No abstract

Macrofiber composites are low cost, durable, and flexible piezoceramic devices that are presently being considered for applications that include shape control of airfoils for improved flight performance, vibration, and noise suppression and energy harvesting. However, macrofiber composites also exhibit hysteresis and constitutive nonlinearities that need to be incorporated in models and model-based control designs to achieve their full capability. In this article, we combine constitutive relations, constructed using the homogenized energy model for ferroelectric hysteresis, with Euler–Bernoulli theory to construct a dynamic macrofiber composite model that quantifies a range of rate-dependent hysteretic behavior of macrofiber composites. Using homogenizing strategies, the macrofiber composite patch is treated as a monolithic material with effective parameters. We initially calibrate the model by estimating parameters through a least squares fit to a subset of the measured data. We find that the estimated parameters yield very accurate fits for quasi-static hysteresis. The estimated parameters also provide reasonably accurate predictions for a range of frequencies that include the first two harmonics. Second, we employ an adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to construct densities and analyze the correlation between parameters. The kernel density estimates derived from the Markov chain Monte Carlo chains imply that most of the model parameters exhibit non-Gaussian distributions.

A piezohydraulic microjet design and experimental results are presented to demonstrate broadband active flow control for applications on various aircraft structures including impinging jets, rotor blades, cavity bays, etc. The microjet actuator includes a piezoelectric stack actuator and hydraulic circuit that is used to throttle a 400 μm diameter microjet using hydraulic amplification of the piezoelectric stack actuator. This system is shown to provide broadband pulsed flow actuation up to 800 Hz. Unsteady pressure measurements of the microjet's exit flow are coupled with high-speed phase imagery using micro-Schlieren techniques to quantify the flow field. These results are compared with in situ stack actuator displacements using strain gauge measurements.