DESIGN OPTIMIZATION OF A SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY ACTUATED MORPHING AEROSTRUCTURE

摘要

Interest in shape memory alloys (SMAs) as lightweight actuators has motivated research into finding optimal morph-ing structure designs to replace conventional mechanisms in aerospace control systems. Prior to the development of robust constitutive modeling tools for these alloys, application design was based on trial-and-error studies conducted using an array of physical prototypes. Using this approach, a significant amount of time and materials were expended to produce each trial design. However, constitutive models now exist, implemented within a finite element analysis (FEA) framework, that can accurately and consistently predict the thermomechanical response of SMAs. This study considers the use of ModelCenter, a tool for automating simulation processes, coupled with the Abaqus FEA suite and a constitutive model to iteratively converge upon optimal designs in an automated fashion. The engineering design problem posed involves determining the configuration of a morphing aerostructure assembly with attached SMA flexures. Design inputs include material properties and component geometries. The objective is minimization of a cost function that quantifies the deviation of the computed actuation deflection from some target deflection. This paper presents a method for constructing this optimization problem, outlines the modeling tools used to execute each analysis, and highlights the results from the optimal design solution.