Ultralight Bio-inspired Skeletal-Neuro-Muscular Materials for Intelligent and Modular Morphable Wings
Abstract
The objective of this project is to realize a paradigm-shifting concept of ultralight, intelligent, and modular morphable wings, which will replace conventional aircraft wing structures with novel, bio-inspired active skeletal-neuro-muscular materials. This effort will introduce a fundamentally new pathway to future morphable fixed-wing aircraft to dramatically reduce structural weight, increase design-production-operation speed and flexibility, and improve flight efficiency.The project is driven by three connected thrusts. Thrust 1 will study the rational design, manufacturing, and assembly methods to realize ultralight, bird-bone-like hierarchical architected materials (i.e., artificial skeletal materials) for significant weight reduction on airframes. Thrust 2 will develop novel dielectric elastomeric materials (i.e., artificial muscles) capable of actuating morphable wings in-flight. A sensory wing skin will be developed to achieve awareness of wing shapes and aerodynamic pressure. Thrust 3 will leverage the knowledge generated in thrusts 1 and 2 to build small-scale morphable fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to demonstrate and validate the proposed concept.With the funding from ONR and additional voluntary cost share from Penn State, this project will support a group of graduates andundergraduates for three years. The PI will integrate education and research to equip the students with solid, interdisciplinary expertise. This project contributes to the development of future naval science and technology workforce in the area of aerospace structures and materials.This work will deliver systematic knowledge and methods on design, materials, manufacturing, and mechanics to enable future naval air vehicles with superior performance for demanding naval aviation operations. The project aligns well with ONR#spriority in transforming naval air platforms, and it fits well within the scope of technical and workforce development of the Aerospace Structures and Materials Program.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 13, 2023
- Source ID
- N000142312897
Entities
People
- Xin Ning
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign