Spatially Targeted Activation of a Shape Memory, Polymer-Based, Reconfigurable Skin System.

摘要

The objective of the project is to investigate the thermo-mechanical behavior of engineered shape memory polymer (SMP) materials for use as composite reconfigurable skin systems in morphing aircraft applications. An anisotropic, reconfigurable skin based on selective heating of a cellular SMP material was designed and investigated to understand its material characteristics. The engineered skin material is made of a cellular structure filled with a variable stiffness material, such as honeycomb filled with SMP and it was characterized by finite element analysis and MTS testing. The research provides a comprehensive initial feasibility study into the proposed filled honeycomb skin system, and thermal problems such as diffusion between cells, cooling the skin, the power required for operation, and cycle time are topics of further research.