The Effects of an SMA-based Slat Cove Filler on the Aerodynamic and Structural Characteristics of a Wing Prototype
Abstract
Current and new FAA regulations that are to be phased in have begun to pressure the
aerospace industry to develop new noise reduction technologies to reduce aeroacoustic
emissions that proponents say detriment the health and well-being of community members.
With recent technological advancements improving noise emission from aircraft
engines, emissions from airframe noise sources now project a larger footprint on the total
emitted noise. This research proposes to investigate the previously developed shape
memory alloy based slat cove filler concept and conduct aerodynamic and structural experiments
with the purpose of characterizing the response under relevant flow conditions.
The Texas A&M University 3’ 4’ low speed wind tunnel will be used to determine the
aerodynamic influences of the shape memory alloys based slat cove filler on wing performance.
A previously developed wing prototype treated with a slat cove filler will be used
to compare aerodynamic effects at multiple slat settings. Structural experiments was conducted
using Digital Image Correlation measurements, and displacement measurements
from a custom-designed laser displacement sensor to determine the structural response of
the shape memory alloy slat cove filler during a typical retraction cycle under wind tunnel
test conditions. Results from the structural experiments will be used to validate a finite element
analysis model that will be used to further research development into computational
modeling tools.
Citation
Patterson, Ryan David (2017). The Effects of an SMA-based Slat Cove Filler on the Aerodynamic and Structural Characteristics of a Wing Prototype. Master's thesis, Texas A & M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /173175.