Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Inflatable Wing Morphing Aircraft Aeroservoelastic Control and Design Demonstration
Project Description
The role of UASs in the DoD has been continuously growing and is expected to show much higher growth rates in operations in the near future. A pressing need for such platforms is the need to be able to satisfy multiple mission objectives, without "compromising" on efficiency. This need is further exacerbated by increasing fuel prices, that dictates higher aerodynamic efficiencies across the complete mission. Variable geometry aircraft, inspired by biological examples of high efficiency, are a natural choice for achieving this goal. This has become a particularly lucrative option with advances in smart materials and structures. However, there is much to be done in terms of actuation development and stable robust control to make such a concept practically feasible. To address this need, Intelligent Automation proposes an inflatable morphing wing aircraft concept based on pneumatic actuation mechanism to achieve several types of morphing. We also propose to develop novel adaptive control techniques that are provably stable in spite of transitions and aeroservoelastic interactions. These will be developed and demonstrated in flight tests to assure credibility of propose approach and enable rapid transition.
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Anticipated Benefits
The results of this effort will benefit several programs across NASA. The Subsonic Fixed Wing program will benefit from novel morphing aircraft concepts that have been flight tested and will enable highly aerodynamically efficient platforms in the future. The inflatable wing technology is also directly applicable to extra-terrestrial applications (such as Mars mission) and the Inflatable Wing Project. The novel system identification and adaptive control techniques will also benefit several control projects at NASA, particularly ones dealing with aeroservoelastic control.
The design and demonstration of novel morphing concepts including actuation mechanisms and control concepts will be useful for several non-NASA clients. For the defense market, IAI's morphing UAV technology will be a TRL 5/6 hardware/software product that can be licensed for use by our strategic OEM partners, or a similar aircraft manufacturer, depending on the market being addressed. The technology is directly applicable to the Morphing Structures Program at DARPA, and will allow advancement of DoD's in-house technology. Also, with the increasing use of UASs by the DoD, several control system design technologies will be immensely useful. The Navy can also directly benefit from the compact UAVs developed in this effort and similar concepts can be scaled to larger programs, such as the X-47B. There is also a market for small UAV manufacturers who will be interested in building next generation UAV systems. More »
The design and demonstration of novel morphing concepts including actuation mechanisms and control concepts will be useful for several non-NASA clients. For the defense market, IAI's morphing UAV technology will be a TRL 5/6 hardware/software product that can be licensed for use by our strategic OEM partners, or a similar aircraft manufacturer, depending on the market being addressed. The technology is directly applicable to the Morphing Structures Program at DARPA, and will allow advancement of DoD's in-house technology. Also, with the increasing use of UASs by the DoD, several control system design technologies will be immensely useful. The Navy can also directly benefit from the compact UAVs developed in this effort and similar concepts can be scaled to larger programs, such as the X-47B. There is also a market for small UAV manufacturers who will be interested in building next generation UAV systems. More »
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligent Automation, Inc. | Lead Organization | Industry | Rockville, Maryland |
Armstrong Flight Research Center
(AFRC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Edwards, California |
| University of Maryland | Supporting Organization | Academia | College Park, Maryland |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
California
-
Maryland
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