Monitoring the shape and health of morphing structures is essential for their effective and safe operation. However, current sensing systems such as fiber optic sensors are expensive, rigid, and unsuitable for monitoring large shape changes without being susceptible to failure or degradation. The objective of this project is to investigate a novel class of sensors that does not suffer from these serious limitations.
The proposed sensor system relies in its operation on a configured distributed network of wires that are embedded in the composite fabric of these structures. The output of the sensor network is wirelessly transmitted to a control processor to compute the linear and angular deflections, the shape, and maps of the strain distribution and power flow over the entire surface of the morphing structure. The deflection and shape information are vital to ascertain that the structure is properly deployed and that its surfaces are operating wrinkle-free. The strain map ensures that the structure is not loaded excessively to adversely affect its service life while the power flow map provides a metric that uniquely identifies the structural health in a manner that mimics biological systems.
The impact of this study is multifold. First, the fundamentals of distributed sensors for monitoring the shape and health of flexible structures undergoing large deformations will be developed. Second, the experimental validation of the sensor performance will be carried out on prototypes of variable cambered span and variable camber morphing wings. Third, the potential of the transition of the developed knowledge to other fields is viable and is only limited by our imagination as it includes numerous applications in inflatable and deployable structures. Fouth, integration of the proposed sensor network with the supporting electronics and with arrays of flexible actuators will enable the development of autonomously operating new generation of morphing and inflatable structures. Finally, the implementation of the project will involve training of graduate and undergraduate students in the field of shape control and health monitoring of smart structures. .
