Aeroelastic analysis of a smart SMA-composite wing

ifasd2024 Tracking Number 59

The present work reports on the development of a numerical aerothermoelastic tool that accounts for nonlinearities of multi-physical sources to investigate the behavior of flexible wings made of a hybrid smart material. Here, hybrid materials consist of laminated composites reinforced with embedded shape memory alloy wires. The proposed model gathers geometrical, material, and aerodynamic nonlinearities to the thermal heating dynamics of SMA wires via the Joule effect. To this end, a geometrically nonlinear FE beam model is coupled with material nonlinearities via a micromechanical model that computes the homogenized properties of hybrid laminates. Nonlinear aerodynamic effects are introduced through an unsteady strip theory method in the time domain, along with the assumption of follower aerodynamic forces and a quasi-steady stall model. A set of aerothermoelastic cases was simulated by assuming various layups and SMA temperatures to tailor and analyze the aeroelastic response of hybrid wings. The outcomes have shown a considerable reduction in post-flutter oscillations as the SMA temperature increases, indicating evidence of the capability of hybrid materials for aeroelastic applications.