2004 NIP Award Recipient
Modeling and Control Methods for Morphing Smart Structures
Dr. Javier A. Kypuros, University of Texas - Pan American
Next generation aerial and submersible vehicles will incorporate increasingly adaptable control surfaces - surfaces that can radically change shape - to improve functionality and optimize performance. To enable these technologies, modeling and control methods must be developed to aid in identifying necessary actuator characteristics, viable distributed control methods, and advanced power distribution technologies. Expanding on concepts previously developed for active damping of vibrating structures, this project will develop models of a composite control surface whose shape is actively optimized in the presence of external disturbances using smart material actuators. The surface will optimally and adaptively control the flow of air while damping any parasitic vibrations. Model simulations will be validated using a real-time experimental apparatus.
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