Aerospace structures have stringent pointing and shape control requirements
during long-term exposure to a hostile environment with no scheduled maintenance. This
makes them excellent candidates for a smart structures approach as current passive
techniques prove insufficient. This study investigates the feasibility of providing
autonomous dimensional control to aerospace structures by embedding shape memory
alloy elements inside composite structures. Increasing volume fractions of nitinol wire
were embedded in cross-ply graphite/ epoxy composite panels. The potential of this
approach was evaluated by measuring the change in longitudinal strain with increasing
temperature and volume fraction. Reduction of thermal expansion is demonstrated and
related to embedded volume fraction.
Classical lamination theory is used to formulate a two-dimensional model which
included the adaptive properties of the embedded nitinol. The model was used to predict
the increased modulus and reduction of thermal strain in the modified plates which was
verified by the experimental data.
next to an author's name indicates that all files or directories associated with their ETD are accessible from the Virginia Tech campus network only.
![[VT]](http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/images/ETD-db/restricted.gif)
