A NEW FABRICATION PROCESS FOR A FLEXIBLE SKIN WITH TEMPERATURE SENSOR ARRAY AND ITS APPLICATIONS

This paper reports a novel technique for fabrication of a flexible skin with a temperature sensor array (40×1 sensors). A simplified MEMS technology using platinum resistors as sensing materials, which are sandwiched between two polyimide layers as flexible substrates is developed. The two polyimide layers are deposited on top of a thin aluminum layer, which serves as a sacrificial layer such that the flexible skin can be released by metal etching and peeled off easily. The flexible skin with a temperature sensor array has a high mechanical flexibility and can be handily attached on a highly curved surface to detect tiny temperature distribution inside a small area. The sensor array shows a linear output and has a sensitivity of 7.5 mV/°C (prior to amplifiers) at a drive current of 1 mA. To demonstrate its applications, two examples have been demonstrated, including measurement of temperature distribution around a micro heater of a micro PCR (polymerase chain reaction) chip for DNA amplification and detection of separation point for flow over a circular cylinder. The development of the flexible skin with a temperature sensor array may be crucial for measuring temperature distribution on any curved surface in the fields of aerodynamics, space exploration, auto making and biomedical applications etc.

An efficient stiffness analysis model based on shear deformation theory for flexible skin shear variable-sweep wing

Fixed-wing aircraft cannot maintain optimal aerodynamic performance at different flight speeds.As a type of morphing aircraft,the shear variable-sweep wing(SVSW)can dramatically improve its aerodynamic performance by altering its shape to adapt to various flight conditions.In order to achieve smooth continuous shear deformation,SVSW’s skin adopts a flexible composite skin design instead of traditional aluminum alloy materials.However,this also brings about the non-linear difficulty in stiffness modeling and calculation.In this research,a new SVSW design and efficient stiffness modeling method are proposed.Based on shear deformation theory,the flexible composite skin is equivalently modeled as diagonally arranged nonlinear springs,simulating the elastic force interaction between the skin and the mechanism.By shear loading tests of flexible composite skin,the accuracy of this flexible composite skin modeling method is verified.The SVSW stiffness model was established,and its accuracy was verified through static loading tests.The effects of root connection,sweep angles,and flexible composite skin on the SVSW stiffness are analyzed.Finally,considering three typical flight conditions of SVSW:low-speed flow(Ma=0.3,Re=5.8210^(6)),transonic flow(Ma=0.9,Re=3.4410^(6)),and supersonic flow(Ma=3,Re=7.5110^(6)),the stiffness characteristics of SVSW under flight conditions were evaluated.The calculated results guide the application of SVSW.

Comparative study of two lay-up sequence dispositions for flexible skin design of morphing leading edge

Morphing leading edge has great potential for noise abatement and aerodynamic efficiency improvement.The drooping effect is realized by bending of the flexible skin which encloses to form the leading edge.Since the flexible skin is often made of composite laminates of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics(GFRP),the lay-up sequences have become the determinant,which affects not only the morphing quality but also the manufacturing complexity.Two optimizing methods of layup sequences are comparatively studied.In the first method,the laminal quantities in 0,±45and 90vary independently,while in the second one,the concept of isotropic laminate unit[0/45/45/90]s is employed and the unit quantity is the unique variable.Final evaluation demonstrates that for both methods there is insignificant impact to the overall morphing quality;however,specific concern is equally necessary for these two methods to the tip of the leading edge where the skin is at its minimum thickness and bears the most severe bending deformation.In terms of computational efficiency and post-processing labor,the second method has better performance.

Polymer ionogels and their application in flexible ionic devices

Polymer ionogel(PIG)is a new type of flexible,stretchable,and ion-conductive material,which generally consists of two components(polymer matrix materials and ionic liquids/deep eutectic solvents).More and more attention has been received owing to its excellent properties,such as nonvolatility,good ionic conductivity,excellent thermal stability,high electrochemical stability,and transparency.In this review,the latest research and developments of PIGs are comprehensively reviewed according to different polymer matrices.Particularly,the development of novel structural designs,preparation methods,basic properties,and their advantages are respectively summarized.Furthermore,the typical applications of PIGs in flexible ionic skin,flexible electrochromic devices,flexible actuators,and flexible power supplies are reviewed.The novel working mechanism,device structure design strategies,and the unique functions of the PIG-based flexible ionic devices are briefly introduced.Finally,the perspectives on the current challenges and future directions of PIGs and their application are discussed.

Design and test of pneumatic artificial muscle driven variable trailing-edge camber wing

A variable camber wing driven by pneumatic artificial muscles is developed in this paper. Firstly, the experimental setup to measure the static output force of pneumatic artificial muscle is designed and the relationship between the static output force and the air pressure is investigated. Experimental results show that the static output force of pneumatic artificial muscle decreases nonlinearly with the increase of contraction ratio. Secondly, the model of variable camber wing driven by pneumatic artificial muscles is manufactured to validate the variable camber concept. Finally, wind tunnel tests are conducted in the low speed wind tunnel. It is found that the wing camber increases with the increase of air pressure. When the air pressure of PAMs is 0.4 MPa and 0.5 MPa, the tip displacement of the trailing-edge is 3 mm and 5 mm, respectively. The lift of aerofoil with flexible trailing-edge increases by 87% at AOA of 5°.

In-plane corrugated cosine honeycomb for 1D morphing skin and its application on variable camber wing

A novel 0-Poisson＇s ratio cosine honeycomb support structure of flexible skin is proposed. Mechanical model of the structure is analyzed with the energy method, finite element method （FEM） and experiments have been performed to validate the theoretical model. The in-plane characteristics of the cosine honeycomb are compared with accordion honeycomb through analytical models and experiments. Finally, the application of the cosine honeycomb on a variable camber wing is studied. Studies show that mechanical model agrees well with results of FEM and experiments. The transverse non-dimensional elastic modulus of the cosine honeycomb increases （decreases） when the wavelength or the wall width increases （decreases）, or when the amplitude decreases （increases）. Compared with accordion honeycomb, the transverse non-dimensional elastic modulus of the cosine honeycomb is smaller, which means the driving force is smaller and the power consumption is less during deformation. In addition, the cosine honeycomb can satisfy the deform- ing requirements of the variable camber wing.

Topology optimization of support structure of telescope skin based on bit-matrix representation NSGA-II

Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II（NSGA-II）with multiple constraints handling is employed for multi-objective optimization of the topological structure of telescope skin,in which a bit-matrix is used as the representation of a chromosome,and genetic algorithm（GA）operators are introduced based on the matrix.Objectives including mass,in-plane performance,and out-of-plane load-bearing ability of the individuals are obtained by fnite element analysis（FEA）using ANSYS,and the matrix-based optimization algorithm is realized in MATLAB by handling multiple constraints such as structural connectivity and in-plane strain requirements.Feasible confgurations of the support structure are achieved.The results confrm that the matrix-based NSGA-II with multiple constraints handling provides an effective method for two-dimensional multi-objective topology optimization.

Design and applications of morphing aircraft and their structures

Morphing aircraft can adaptively regulate their aerodynamic layout to meet the demands of varying flight conditions,improve their aerodynamic efficiency,and reduce their energy consumption.The design and fabrication of high-performance,lightweight,and intelligent morphing structures have become a hot topic in advanced aircraft design.This paper discusses morphing aircraft development history,structural characteristics,existing applications,and future prospects.First,some conventional mechanical morphing aircraft are examined with focus on their morphing modes,mechanisms,advantages,and disadvantages.Second,the novel applications of several technologies for morphing unmanned aerial vehicles,including additive manufacturing for fabricating complex morphing structures,lattice technology for reducing structural weight,and multi-mode morphing combined with flexible skins and foldable structures,are summarized and categorized.Moreover,in consideration of the further development of active morphing aircraft,the paper reviews morphing structures driven by smart material actuators,such as shape memory alloy and macro-fiber composites,and analyzes their advantages and limitations.Third,the paper discusses multiple challenges,including flexible structures,flexible skins,and control systems,in the design of future morphing aircraft.Lastly,the development and application of morphing structures in the aerospace field are discussed to provide a reference for future research and engineering applications.

Liquid metal E-tattoo

The past twenty years have witnessed a rapid advancement in medical devices and healthcare techniques.Motivated by the growing demand for personalized,preventive,predictive and participatory medicine,the on-skin portable healthcare system with fascinating merits has attracted great interest.Especially,the electronic tattoo(E-tattoo)that can form intimate contact and deform with the skin movement is regarded to play an important role in further healthcare monitoring and disease treatment.Endowed with the combination of fluidity and metallic properties,liquid metals(LMs)have become an emerging class of functional materials and are regarded as the ideal candidate for soft electronics.Here,we highlighted the key advantages of LM in E-tattoo,classified the LM based conductive inks,and summarized the important pattern technologies in fabrication of LM E-tattoo.The typical applications of healthcare detection and therapy were also discussed.Finally,outlooks were provided for future E-tattoo development.

A compliant polymorphing wing for small UAVs

This paper presents the development of a novel compliant polymorphing wing capable of chord and camber morphing for small UAVs.The morphing wing can achieve up to 10%chord extension and±20°camber changes.The design,modeling,sizing,manufacturing and mechanical testing of the wing are detailed.The polymorphing wing consists of one continuous front spar fixed to the fuselage and a rear spar on each side of the wing.Each rear spar can translate in the chordwise direction(chord morphing)and rotate around itself(camber morphing).A flexible elastomeric latex sheet is used as the skin to cover the wing and maintain its aerodynamic shape whilst allowing morphing.The loads from the skin are transferred to the spars using the compliant cellular ribs that support the flexible skin and facilitate morphing.Pre-tensioning is applied to the skin to minimize wrinkling when subject to aerodynamic and actuation loads.A rack and pinion actuation system,powered by stepper motors,is used for morphing.Aero-structural design,analysis and sizing are conducted.Performance comparison between the polymorphing wing and the baseline wing(non-morphing)shows that chord morphing improves aerodynamic efficiency at low angles of attack while camber morphing improves efficiency at high angles of attack.