Wing morphing control with shape memory alloy actuators

Abstract

Aircraft morphing is referred to as the ability for an aircraft to change its geometry in flight. Formally, flaps, spoilers, and control devices are considered morphing, but in general, morphing in aerospace is associated with geometrical changes using smart materials such as shape memory alloys. Shape memory alloy is a material that changes shape under heating and produces force and deflections, which make it potential actuator for a wing morphing system. The motivation behind this study is the application to small-sized and medium-sized unmanned air vehicles and the potential to increase range or endurance for a given fuel load through improved lift-to-drag ratio. The camber line of an airfoil section, the predominant parameter affecting lift and drag, is changed by resistive heating of a shape memory alloy actuator and cooling in the surrounding air. Experiments were conducted under wind tunnel conditions to verify analysis and to investigate the effects of its application on the aerodynamic behavior of the wing. This study investigated three control methodologies: the conventional proportional-integral-derivative controller, proportional-integral-derivative with robust compensator, and proportional-integral-derivative with anti-windup compensator. The latter proved to have superior performance in achieving and maintaining a required level of morphing. In addition, the power required to the shape memory alloy actuators under aerodynamic load, and the effect of ambient temperature was also investigated.

Properties of Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys in Martensitic Phase

“…THE shape memory alloys (SMAs) have emerged as smart advanced materials in the recent past due to wide applications in bioengineering [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] , aerospace 1,[9][10][11] , robotics [12][13][14] , consumer products and industrial applications [15][16][17] , structures and composites 18 , automotive industry [19][20][21] , actuators and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) 1,2,[22][23][24] , and in fashion 25 . The SMAs are capable of memorizing their original shape.…”

Morphing blades with embedded SMA strips: An experimental investigation

“…A great amount of literature has considered the employment of SMAs for actuation purposes [11][12][13][14]. Examples of adaptive structures regard the improvement of the global efficiency of aircraft wings [15][16][17], helicopter blades [18] and wind turbines [19,20].…”

Havacilik Ve Uzay Uygulamalarinda Şeki̇l Hafizali Alaşimlar

“…mekanizmalar, şekil hafızalı alaşımların havacılık uygulamalarına örnek olarak gösterilebilir [15,[17][18]. Tablo 2'de ŞHA'ların uçakların gövde ve motorlarındaki kullanım yerleri ve ilgili referanslar gösterilmektedir.…”