A Shape Memory Alloy Application for Compact Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

Shape memory alloys materials, SMA, offer several advantages that designers can rely on such as the possibility of transmitting large forces and deformations, compactness, and the intrinsic capability to absorb loads. Their use as monolithic actuators, moreover, can lead to potential simplifications of the system, through a reduction of number of parts and the removal of many free play gaps among mechanics. For these reasons, technological aerospace research is focusing on this kind of technology more and more, even though fatigue life, performance degradation, and other issues are still open. In the work at hand, landing gear for unmanned aerial vehicles, UAV, is presented, integrated with shape memory alloys springs as actuation devices. A conceptual prototype has been realized to verify the system ability in satisfying specs, in terms of deployment and retraction capability. Starting from the proposed device working principle and the main design parameters identification, the design phase is faced, setting those parameters to meet weight, deployment angle, energy consumption, and available room requirements. Then, system modeling and performance prediction is performed and finally a correlation between numerical and experimental results is presented.

An Overview of Novel Actuators for Soft Robotics

“…When the application convenience is considered for SMAs, any case where super-elasticity or shape memory is relevant can be thought. It is not uncommon to have SMAs as actuators in aerospace applications for shape-morphing of aero-foils [64] or for the simplification and compactness of UAV actuation [65]. The super-elasticity and shape memory property of SMAs also make them an excellent actuator choice for biomedical applications [62].…”

Shape Memory Polymer Composite Actuator: Modeling Approach for Preliminary Design and Validation

“…Among the many applications that can be found in the wide literature on the subject, it may be interesting to recall morphing surface systems [1][2][3]; automotive mechanism to control inlet/outlets opening [4], medical stents [5], and damping systems to improve a building's response to seismic events [6].…”

Research on the Performance of an Aircraft Landing Gear Hook Lock Based on Bifurcation Analysis

“…Such design patterns were procedurally cumbersome, causing high repetition rates and long cycles of design as well as high costs of development [5]. With the advancement of digital mockup technology [6], multidisciplinary co-simulation has become the mainstream method of lock mechanism design [7]. Lei [8] proposed a multidisciplinary co-simulation-based method for analyzing a system with a hydromechatronically coupled landing gear lock mechanism.…”