Additively Manufactured Compliant Mechanism Design and Application for sUAS Control Surfaces
Open Access
- Author:
- Jones, Thomas
- Graduate Program:
- Additive Manufacturing and Design
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- March 05, 2021
- Committee Members:
- Michael Andrew Yukish, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Simon W Miller, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Timothy W. Simpson, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- compliant mechanism
morphing wing
additive manufacturing
unmanned aircraft
3d printing
flight testing
design for AM - Abstract:
- A design study was conducted to bridge the gap between conventional hinged aileron and compliant mechanism controlled morphing wing aileron designs for small unmanned aircraft systems using additive manufacturing methods. Taking advantage of the rapid prototyping capabilities of fused filament fabrication machines, several design options were created using multiple materials. Final design selection was determined by part usability and by metrics of reduced part count, weight, material use, assembly time, and other factors are enabled by additive manufacturing. The final compliant design was printed, tested and compared to a printed, conventional-style hinged aileron on a flying test-bed to look for aerodynamic benefits and to prove functionality. Data suggests there is some aerodynamic benefit to be gained with the compliant morphing wing aileron. Additional improvements include a reduction in total part count and time to assemble with improvements in final component weight and material usage possible using this design process. The use of additive manufacturing as a manufacturing process enabled rapid prototyping of concepts, greatly accelerating the design process and resulting in a novel design.