Shape and Health Monitoring of Morphing Structures

监测变形结构的形状和健康状况对其有效和安全运行至关重要。然而，目前的传感系统，如光纤传感器，价格昂贵，刚性强，不适合监测大的形状变化，而不容易发生故障或退化。这个项目的目标是研究一种新型的传感器，它不会受到这些严重限制的影响。所提出的传感器系统的运行依赖于嵌入在这些结构的复合结构中的已配置的分布式导线网络。传感器网络的输出被无线传输到控制处理器，以计算变形结构整个表面上的应变分布和功率流的线和角变形、形状和地图。挠度和形状信息对于确定结构是否正确展开以及其表面是否无褶皱运行至关重要。应变图确保结构不会被过度加载而对其使用寿命产生不利影响，而功率流图则提供了以模拟生物系统的方式唯一识别结构健康的指标。这项研究的影响是多方面的。首先，将开发用于监测经历大变形的柔性结构的形状和健康的分布式传感器的基本原理。其次，在变弧度翼面和变弧度变形翼样机上进行了传感器性能的实验验证。第三，将已开发的知识转移到其他领域的潜力是可行的，仅受我们的想象力的限制，因为它包括在充气和可展开结构中的许多应用。第四，所提出的传感器网络与支持电子器件和柔性致动器阵列的集成将使自主操作的新一代变形和充气结构的开发成为可能。最后，该项目的实施将涉及对智能结构形状控制和健康监测领域的研究生和本科生进行培训。。

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. .