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Macro Fiber Composites and Substrate Materials for MAV Wing Morphing

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Experimental Mechanics of Composite, Hybrid, and Multifunctional Materials, Volume 6

Abstract

This paper examines the application of a relatively new type of piezoelectric actuator, termed a Macro Fiber Composite, on small unmanned air vehicles with a wingspan of 0.61 m for the purpose of active flight control. The design is examined on a local–global level with the primary goals being to maximize curvature and load bearing capacity of the actuator-substrate component while also maximizing the effective roll and pitch moment when the actuator component is applied on the aircraft. Within this document the strain of the individual MFC is measured, the performance of various substrates and adhesives examined within a cantilever setup and a four point bend setup, and the overall performance of the MFC actuators evaluated when embedded on an innovative forward swept Micro Air Vehicle wing. The wing incorporates composite material bend-twist coupling to allow passive load alleviation while providing a planform for sufficient control authority using only two MFC actuators.

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Abbreviations

AVL:

Athena Vortex Lattice

CA:

Cyanoacrylate

CG:

Center of Gravity

DIC:

Digital Image Correlation

FEA:

Finite Element Analysis

MAV:

Micro Air Vehicle

MFC:

Macro Fiber Composite

References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Florida, 231 MAE-A, 116250, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Bradley W. LaCroix & Peter G. Ifju

Authors
  1. Bradley W. LaCroix
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  2. Peter G. Ifju
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bradley W. LaCroix .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio, USA

    G P Tandon

  2. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

    Srinivasan Arjun Tekalur

  3. Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

    Carter Ralph

  4. University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA

    Nancy R Sottos

  5. Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, USA

    Benjamin Blaiszik

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© 2014 The Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc.

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LaCroix, B.W., Ifju, P.G. (2014). Macro Fiber Composites and Substrate Materials for MAV Wing Morphing. In: Tandon, G., Tekalur, S., Ralph, C., Sottos, N., Blaiszik, B. (eds) Experimental Mechanics of Composite, Hybrid, and Multifunctional Materials, Volume 6. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00873-8_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00873-8_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-00872-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-00873-8

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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