On the Integration of Piezoceramic Actuators in Composite Structures for Aerospace Applications

Abstract

Up to now experimental and theoretical research on active structures for aerospace applications has put the focus mainly on surface bonded actuators. Simultaneously piezoceramics became the major type of actuating device being investigated for smart structures. In this context various techniques of insulating, bonding and operating these actuators have been developed. However, especially with regard to actuators, only a few investigations have dealt with embedding of these components into the load bearing structure so far. With increasing shares of fibre-reinforced plastics applied in aerospace products the option of integrating the actuation capability into the components should be reconsidered during the design process. This paper deals with different aspects related to the integration of piezoceramic actuators into fibre reinforced aerospace structures. An outline of the basic possibilities of either bonding an actuator to the structure's surface or embedding it into the composite is given while the emphasis is put on different aspects related to the latter technology. Subsequently, recent efforts at DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Dornier concerning aircraft components with surface bonded actuators are presented. Design considerations regarding embedded piezoceramic actuators are discussed. Finally, some techniques of nondestructive testing applicable to structures with surface bonded as well as embedded piezoelectric actuators are described.

Piezo-actuated Vibration and Flutter Control

“…A review on the state-of-the-art of smart systems with emphasis on rotorcraft has been given by Chopra 7 and on composite structure by Durr 8 .…”

“…Adhesive bonding is the most convenient method to bond actuators, since these may be cured at room temperature, and hence, have small residual stresses. A detailed study of the effect of bonding layer thickness was reported by Durr 8 . Bonding layer thickness up to 200 as found in common applications results in a moderate loss in efficiency of 11 per cent to 17 per cent.…”

Review of Smart-Materials Actuation Solutions for Aeroelastic and Vibration Control

“…(Moses, 1999). gain was varied from 0 to 20 [Figure 29(b)]. A comprehensive analysis of the design and fabrication issues associated with transferring these proof-of-concept results to operational aerospace structures was presented by Durr et al (1999).…”

Circuito piezelétrico chaveado para controle de vibrações e coleta de energia em uma seção típica aeroelástica

“…Um outro grande programa envolve pesquisas para controle ativo de buffeting utilizando materiais piezelétricos nas empenagens verticais da aeronave F/A-18 (MOSES, 1997(MOSES, , 1999DÜRR, 1998;HOPKINS et al, 1998). Estes estudos apresentam testes em túnel de vento com um modelo de aeronave em escala dinâmica (MOSES, 1997), até ensaios em solo com uma aeronave real (MCGOWAN et al, 1998;HOPKINS et al 1998;MOSES, 1999).…”

“…Por exemplo, o controle ativo de flutter utilizando atuadores piezelétricos apresentado por Heeg (1993), o programa da NASA "Piezoelectric Aeroelastic Response Tailoring Investigation (PARTI)" desenvolvido para controle de flutter e atenuação da resposta a rajada (MCGOWAN et al, 1998) e os trabalhos apresentados para controle ativo de buffeting utilizando materiais piezelétricos nas empenagens verticais da aeronave F/A-18 (MOSES, 1997(MOSES, , 1999DÜRR, 1998;HOPKINS et al, 1998). Uma revisão bastante abrangente sobre o uso de materiais inteligentes em soluções de problemas aeroelásticos é apresentada por Giurgiutiu (2000).…”