Print Email Facebook Twitter Buckled precompressed elements: A new class of control actuators for subscale UAVs Title Buckled precompressed elements: A new class of control actuators for subscale UAVs Author Vos, R. Contributor Van Tooren, M.J.L. (mentor) Barrett, R.M. (mentor) Krakers, L. (mentor) Abdalla, M. (mentor) Faculty Aerospace Engineering Date 2007-08-11 Abstract This thesis presents the use of a new class of flight control actuators employing Post-Buckled Precompressed (PBP) piezoelectric elements in morphing wing Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The new actuator relies on axial compression to amplify deflections and control forces simultaneously. Two designs employing morphing wing panels based on PBP actuators were conceived. One design relied on a change in curvature of the actuators to control the camber of the airfoil. Axial compression of the actuators was ensured by means of rubber bands and increased end rotation levels with almost a factor of two up to +/- 13.6deg peak-to-peak, with excellent correlation between theory and experiment. Wind tunnel tests quantitatively proved that wing morphing induced roll acceleration levels in excess of 1500deg/sˆ2. A second design employed PBP actuators in a wing panel with significant thickness, relying on a highly compliant Latex skin to allow for shape deformation and at the same time induce an axial force on the actuators. Bench tests showed that due to the axial compression provided by the skin end rotations were increased with more than a factor of two up to +/- 15.8deg peak-to-peak up to a break frequency of 34Hz. Compared to conventional electromechanical servoactuaters, the PBP actuators showed a net reduction in flight control system weight, slop and power consumption for minimal part count. Both morphing wing concepts showed that PBP piezoelectric actuators have significant benefits over conventional actuators and can be successfully applied to induce aircraft control. Subject adaptivemorphingpiezoelectricpostbuckled To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:51e05398-ef4e-48bd-8dbe-5ee80c8b3a3f Publisher TU Delft, Aerospace Engineering, Design of Aircraft and Rotorcraft Part of collection Student theses Document type master thesis Rights (c) 2007 R. Vos Files PDF ae_vos_20070811.pdf 5.99 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:51e05398-ef4e-48bd-8dbe-5ee80c8b3a3f/datastream/OBJ/view