Solid-State Propulsion for Rotary- and Fixed-Wing Aircraft
(Room Innovation Hub-- Booth 2727)
03 May 16
10:00 AM
-
5:30 PM
Tracks:
Academic, Air, Commercial, Defense, Research and Development
Shape adaptation is a trait that some smart-materials naturally exhibit; hence such materials may offer system-level benefits as actuators for morphing, sensors and energy harvesters while simultaneously improving robustness by reducing the part count and mechanical complexity of small unmanned aerial systems. This session invites papers in research conducted for enabling solid-state flight in small unmanned aircraft. Particularly, research in shape morphing of aerodynamic surfaces including static and dynamic camber, thickness and planform control, leading to the flight testing are highly encouraged. Research in understanding fluid-structure interaction, restrictions in range, performance and function due to power and efficiency, and novel morphing concepts addressing such issues are invited. The aircraft today suffers from a saturation of design space due to the lack of understanding of biological ornithopters such as birds, insects, some mammals, and their unparalleled ability to take off, hover, forage and land in extremely constrained spaces, and travel long distances in varying ambient conditions. Ornithopters achieve all survival functions and more with extreme efficiency which research to date have not been able to fully explain or mimic. The lack of system-level understanding of biological ornithopters has a dual in the engineered world. In man-made aircraft, establishing a wing configuration that is stiff enough to sustain aerodynamic loads, but compliant and tough enough to generate the desired amount of lift and thrust with minimal weight and drag is the central challenge. Although the reasons not fully understood, one observation can easily be made: The ability to survive observed in biological ornithopters comes from their continuous active and passive physical adaptation to their environment. In contrast, the modern transportation aircraft does precisely the opposite, although the possibility of an aircraft or a control surface to change its shape or to “morph” has interested designers since the beginning of aviation. Shape morphing is almost always observed in nature and results in improved efficiency and control in a wide range of ambient conditions. Unfortunately, to date, almost all morphing concepts resulted in system-level inefficiencies due to the weight associated with the mechanisms to morph the aircraft. Shape adaptation is a trait that some smart-materials naturally exhibit; hence such materials may offer system-level benefits as actuators for morphing, sensors and energy harvesters while simultaneously improving robustness by reducing the part count and mechanical complexity of small unmanned aerial systems.