Boyerinas, Brad Michael
(2009)
Design and Fabrication of a Variable Stiffness Link for Use in a Morphable Unmanned Air Vehicle.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Morphing structures have recently been researched by scientists and engineers due to their ability to adapt to a physical environment and increase the odds of performance and survival. One area of implementation, aeronautics, has been of specific interest since aircraft are commonly called upon to perform in several varying scenarios, some of which the aircraft is ill-suited for survival. These varying scenarios are most commonly experienced by military aircraft where the capabilities of efficient cruising, straight-line speed, and agile maneuvering can be encountered in just one flight. This thesis focuses on the development of a smart structural link that has the capability of being deformed and locked in several positions. The link was designed for and tested in a morphable unmanned air vehicle where the wings can both sweep and morph for greater aerodynamic performance under different conditions. This structural link bends to high degrees of deformation while its main constituent, shape memory polymer, is thermally activated and possesses a very low stiffness. This entire setup was tested in the Kirsten Wind Tunnel at the University of Washington and the morphing system was successfully implemented for several cycles.
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Details
Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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Status: |
Unpublished |
Creators/Authors: |
Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
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Boyerinas, Brad Michael | bmb11@pitt.edu | BMB11 | |
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ETD Committee: |
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Date: |
29 June 2009 |
Date Type: |
Completion |
Defense Date: |
12 December 2008 |
Approval Date: |
29 June 2009 |
Submission Date: |
10 March 2009 |
Access Restriction: |
5 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 5 years. |
Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
Schools and Programs: |
Swanson School of Engineering > Mechanical Engineering |
Degree: |
MSME - Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering |
Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
Refereed: |
Yes |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
morphing wing; shape memory polymer; smart material |
Other ID: |
http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-03102009-143440/, etd-03102009-143440 |
Date Deposited: |
10 Nov 2011 19:32 |
Last Modified: |
19 Dec 2016 14:35 |
URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/6477 |
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