Shape Memory Alloy Actuators for ARES Morphing Duct Study

Ducted fan aircraft have improved hover performance when compared to similarly sized open rotors.  This performance benefit in hover is offset by an increase in drag forces during forward flight for an aircraft like the Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System (ARES) Demonstration Vehicle (DV).  This drag reduces the forward speed capability of the ARES DV, so Piasecki Aircraft Corporation (PiAC) conceived the Morphing Duct (MD) concept that optimizes duct shape for both hover and cruise.  A key enabling technology for MD is small, lightweight actuators for controlling duct geometry.  Shape Memory Allow (SMA) based electric actuators have significant size, weight, and power advantages over traditional solenoid or hydraulic actuators in this application.  A significant barrier to adoption of SMA actuators is the lack of a defect-free high-strength method to join SMAs to dissimilar electrical and structural metals. This Phase I STTR will study a novel impulse welding technology for fabricating SMA electric actuators with The Ohio State University (OSU).  Objectives are to characterize the requirements for morphing duct actuators, characterize SMA actuator performance, and evaluate the manufacturing feasibility of said SMA actuators using impulse welding technology.