| DOI | Resolve DOI: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2009-2132 |
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| Author | Search for: Wickramasinghe, Viresh1; Search for: Chen, Yong1; Search for: Martinez, Marcias; Search for: Wong, Frank; Search for: Kernaghan, Robert1 |
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| Affiliation | - National Research Council of Canada. NRC Institute for Aerospace Research
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| Format | Text, Article |
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| Conference | 50th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, May 4-7, 2009, Palm Springs, CA, USA |
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| Abstract | A special class of fixed-wing Micro-Air-Vehicles (MAV) is currently being designed with the capability to hover vertically like a rotary-wing vehicle through a flight manoeuvre known as prop-hanging. This MAV design provides the range superiority of a fixed-wing aircraft with the hover capabilities of a rotary-wing aircraft to accomplish a variety of missions. The hover manoeuvre requires roll control of the fixed-wing aircraft through differential aileron deflection to maintain its orientation. A conventional aileron control system typically consists of a number of discrete components that contribute significantly to the gross weight and power consumption of the aircraft especially in the case of a MAV. Therefore, it is advantageous to use smart structure approaches with active materials to design a lightweight, robust wing for the MAV with less power requirements. The proposed smart wing structure consists of a composite spar and ailerons that have bimorph active ribs consisting of piezoceramic fiber actuators with interdigitated electrodes. Actuation is enhanced by preloading the piezoceramic fiber actuators with a compressive axial load. The preload is exerted on the actuators through a passive latex or electro active polymer (EAP) skin that wraps around the airfoil. An EAP skin would further enhance the actuation by providing a electrostatic effect of the dielectric polymer. Analytical modeling as well as finite element analysis show that the proposed smart wing concept could achieve the target deflection of 30° in both the wind-off and wind-on flight conditions. Several bimorph actuators have been manufactured and an experimental setup has been designed to measure the static and dynamic deflections. The experimental results validated the analytical technique and finite element models, which have been further used to predict the performance of the smart wing design for a MAV. |
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| Publication date | 2009-05-04 |
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| Publisher | American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |
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| Series | |
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| Language | English |
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| Peer reviewed | Yes |
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| NPARC number | 23004693 |
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| Export citation | Export as RIS |
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| Report a correction | Report a correction (opens in a new tab) |
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| Record identifier | ab1f4533-7e9b-4a11-a5aa-ec68f9e55c57 |
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| Record created | 2018-12-11 |
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| Record modified | 2020-04-16 |
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