SMART MATERIALS FOR

AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS
Smart Materials :

 Smart materials are materials that "remember" configurations and can conform to
them when given a specific stimulus.

 Oil when heated becomes a little thinner, whereas a smart material with variable
viscosity may turn from a fluid which flows easily to a solid.

 A variety of smart materials that exist are piezoelectric materials, magneto-rheostatic

materials, electro-rheostatic materials, and shape memory alloys.

 Smart materials are already incorporated to coffeepots, cars, the International Space
Station, eyeglasses and the number of applications for them is growing steadily.

 Each individual type of smart material has a different property which can be
significantly altered, such as viscosity, volume, and conductivity. The property that
can be altered influences what types of applications the smart material can be used
for.
Shape Memory Alloys :
 Shape memory alloys (SMA's) are metals, which exhibit two very unique properties, pseudo-
elasticity, and the shape memory effect.

 The most effective and widely used alloys include NiTi (Nickel - Titanium), CuZnAl, and
CuAlNi.

 The two unique properties are made possible through a solid state phase change, that is a
molecular rearrangement, which occurs in the shape memory alloy

 In most shape memory alloys, a temperature change of only about 10°C is necessary to
initiate this phase change.

 The two phases, which occur in shape memory alloys, are Martensite, and Austenite.
Applications:
Most aircraft in the air operate flaps using extensive hydraulic systems. These
hydraulic systems utilize large centralized pumps to maintain pressure, and hydraulic
lines to distribute the pressure to the flap actuators. In order to maintain reliability of
operation, multiple hydraulic lines must be run to each set of flaps. This complex
system of pumps and lines is often relatively difficult and costly to maintain.
The most promising alternatives are piezoelectric fibers, electrostrictive
ceramics, and shape memory alloys.
The flaps on a wing generally have the same layout, with a large hydraulic
system like the one (shown in figure) attached to it at the point of the actuator
connection.

"Smart" wings, which incorporate shape memory alloys, are typically like the
wing, this system is much more compact and efficient, in that the shape memory
wires only require an electric current for movement.
SMA Wires:

 The shape memory wire is used to manipulate a flexible wing surface. The wire on
the bottom of the wing is shortened through the shape memory effect, while the top
wire is stretched bending the edge downwards, the opposite occurs when the wing
must be bent upwards.

 The shape memory effect is induced in the wires simply by heating them with an
electric current, which is easily supplied through electrical wiring, eliminating the need
for large hydraulic lines.

 By removing the hydraulic system, aircraft weight, maintenance costs, and repair time
are all reduced.
Future Applications:

There are many possible applications for SMAs.

 Future applications are envisioned to include engines in cars and airplanes and electrical
generators utilizing the mechanical energy resulting from the shape transformations.
Nitinol with its shape memory property is also envisioned for use as car frames.

 Other possible automotive applications using SMA springs include engine cooling,
carburetor and engine lubrication controls,

 ***and the control of a radiator blind ("to reduce the flow of air through the radiator at
start-up when the engine is cold and hence to reduce fuel usage and exhaust
emissions").

 SMAs are "ideally suited for use as fasteners, seals, connectors, and clamps" in a variety
of applications.

 Tighter connections and easier and more efficient installations result from the use of
shape memory alloys.
Piezoelectric Materials :
Piezoelectric materials have two unique properties which are interrelated.
When a piezoelectric material is deformed, it gives off a small but measurable
electrical discharge. Alternately, when an electrical current is passed through a
piezoelectric material it experiences a significant increase in size (up to a 4%
change in volume)

Piezoelectric materials are most widely used as sensors in different

environments. They are often used to measure fluid compositions, fluid density,
fluid viscosity, or the force of an impact. An example of a piezoelectric material in
everyday life is the airbag sensor in your car. The material senses the force of an
impact on the car and sends and electric charge deploying the airbag.
Actuators :
 These substances link electric voltage to motion. If you contort a piezoelectric
material a voltage is generated. Conversely, if you apply a voltage, the material will
contort.
 Using such properties we can design piezoelectric materials that function as strain
sensors or as "actuators" -- devices that create small motions in machines, like the
moving of wing flaps.
 Combined with micro-electronics, these materials could lead to a radical advance in
airplane design.
 To make this technology possible, we need to distribute these actuators and
sensors throughout the wings. That's similar to how the human body operates
 Scientists are using such properties to design piezoelectric materials that function
as strain sensors or as "actuators" -- devices that create small motions in machines, like
the moving of wing flaps.
Magnetostrictive Materials:
Magnetostrictive Materials were discovered in the 1840s by James Prescott
Joule, when he noticed that iron changed length in response to changes in magnetism
and named the phenomenon the Joule Effect.

How It Works:
Magnetostrictive materials expand when exposed to a magnetic field, exhibiting
the Joule Effect or Magnetostriction. This occurs because magnetic domains in the
material align with the magnetic field. Similarly, when the material is strained (stretched or
compressed), its magnetic energy changes. This phenomenon is called
magnetomechanical effect or Villari Effect.

The Physics of Magnetostriction:

• Magnetic field causes crystals within material to rotate
• Internal magnets are elliptical
• The rotation causes the strain and thus material elongation
 Magnetostrictive materials can operate at higher temperatures than piezoelectric and
electrostrictive actuators.
 They can also undergo higher strains and lower input voltages that most piezoelectric and
electrostrictive materials can.
 However, Magnetostrictive materials are not easily embedded in control structures.

Some kinds of Magnetostrictive Materials:

• Cobalt
• Iron
• Nickel
• Ferrite
• Terbium Alloys (Terfenol-D)
• Metglass

Properties of Magnetostrictive Materials:

• Transfers magnetic energy into mechanical energy
• Experiences a change in strain due to a magnetic field
• The internal strain causes a change in length which can be controlled by the magnetic
field
Applications:

Next Generation Space Telescope:

 NGST is a $500 million project planned for launch some time in 2010 to replace the Hubble Space
Telescope
 The large aperture of the telescope and passive cooling technology employed by the telescope results in a
high resolution visible and near infrared observatory that operates at 30-50 K.
 The NGST will use lightweight, adaptive optics technology in the construction of the primary mirror system.
The mirror will consist of several petals (or segments) that will unfold after launch.
 Each petal will consist of a rigid composite back structure onto which is mounted a lightweight reflective
surface. An array of actuators connect the mirror surface to the rigid back structure and are used to align the
mirror segments and to correct image aberrations resulting from thermal gradients and other external
phenomena.
 Energen’s Magnetostrictive actuators are being used in the design of the Advanced Mirror System
Demonstrator (AMSD) Project – a scale demonstration of mirror technology for the NGST. Successful
completion of this demonstrator will lead to a flight demonstration to test the mirror characteristics in a zero
gravity environment.
Etrema TERFENOL-D Actuator
– Wide temperature range
– High strain and force limits
– Unlimited cycle life with microsecond response time

Magnetostrictive Sensors:
• Measures linear displacement
• Measures time differential of strain pulse caused by radial magnetic field
General Applications:

 Bone plates can also be fabricated using shape memory alloys, in particular nickel titanium. Using a bone plate made
out of NiTi, which has a transformation temperature of around Af much greater than 15 °C surgeons follow the same
procedure as is used with conventional bone plates.. Designing plates to apply the appropriate amount of pressure to
breaks and fractures is the most important difficulty, which must be overcome.

 Shape memory alloys mimic human muscles and tendons very well. SMA's are strong and compact so that large groups
of them can be used for robotic applications, and the motion with which they contract and expand are very smooth
creating a life-like movement unavailable in other systems.
 Piezoelectric sensor are devices using the piezoelectric effect to measure acceleration, pressure, strain or force and
converting them to an electrical signal.
 A piezo motor is based on the change in mechanical shape of a piezoelectric material when an tension is applied. With
a fast response of the material (up to 5Mhz), it is possible to obtain a linear speed of 800mm/second with a precision of
a few nanometers.
 In lighters or portable sparkers with a piezo fuze a sudden and strong pressure is used in order to produce a short high
voltage. The spark then ignites the gas.

 Reduction of vibrations

 Piezoelements are used in music for acoustic instruments. They are inserted in stringed instruments such as guitar,
violin or Mandoline.

 High conductance heat switches for cryogenic refrigerators

 Resonant frequency control of RF cavities for particle accelerators.