Shape Memory Towed Array Control Module

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are"smart"metal alloys (including Nickel-Titanium) that change shape dramatically when heated with electrical current. In wire form, the shape change is a silent, aggressive contraction, and the wire contraction provides usable stroke with very high forces. In fact, SMA has the highest force/weight ratio of any known motor, providing forces up to 350 times the actuator weight. SMA actuators are ideally suited to the operation of control surfaces, where small form factors and very low weight are driving requirements. We propose to develop an SMA driven Towed Array Control Module (SM-TACM) to demonstrate the superior capabilities of SMA devices in Naval applications. The module will employ hydrodynamic lift to control the depth and position of a towed array. The Miga SM-TACM lifting body is designed to be compatible with both buoyant and sinking arrays, and is capable of surface-start on a buoyant array, or vertical (nose-down) start of a negative buoyancy array. Finally, the SM-TACM lifting body acoustic noise will be lower than that of a turbulent, separated drogue system.