An Investigation of The Dynamic Behavior of De Membranes at Low Re Environment by Fluid Structure Interaction Approach
Faculty Mentor Name
Pratik Sarker
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
Proper evaluation of dynamic characteristics is an integral part of design of small scale unmanned aerial vehicles, micro air vehicles, artificial/ biological insect wings, etc. In majority of cases, the aerodynamic environment in which they operate is unpredictable, requiring proper control of maneuverability. The dielectric elastomer (DE), a class of smart material, undergoes mechanical deformation when subjected to electric excitation and vice versa. Thus, it has great potential for proper control and maneuvering of small-scale aerial vehicles and is considered as suitable material for design of aerial structures with enhanced safety and agility. However, lower-order approximation in the material behavior cannot predict the proper dynamic characteristics of the material which is also affected by various shapes of the elastomers as well. Therefore, in this project, a higher order, hyper elastic model for VHB 4910 DE membrane of various shapes will be used to investigate their overall dynamic characteristics subjected to different fluid flows and electric excitations. Different pre-stretch ratios of the membranes will be used to correlate the relevant dynamic characteristics. For the vibration analysis, the finite element (FE) model will be developed in the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. Then a computational fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model will be developed to observe the aeroelastic and aerodynamic characteristics of the membranes of various shapes. It is predicted that the pre-stretch ratio, electric excitation, angle of attack (AoA), and fluid flow velocities have strong influences on the overall dynamic characteristics of the membrane and can be altered accordingly for proper control of small-scale aerial structures depending on which parameters are the most influential. Investigation of the overall dynamics of DE membranes with various shapes under various flow conditions and different electric excitation will help identify the governing parameters, explore their significance on the robust design and control of small-scale aerial systems, and improve the aerodynamic efficiency.
An Investigation of The Dynamic Behavior of De Membranes at Low Re Environment by Fluid Structure Interaction Approach
Proper evaluation of dynamic characteristics is an integral part of design of small scale unmanned aerial vehicles, micro air vehicles, artificial/ biological insect wings, etc. In majority of cases, the aerodynamic environment in which they operate is unpredictable, requiring proper control of maneuverability. The dielectric elastomer (DE), a class of smart material, undergoes mechanical deformation when subjected to electric excitation and vice versa. Thus, it has great potential for proper control and maneuvering of small-scale aerial vehicles and is considered as suitable material for design of aerial structures with enhanced safety and agility. However, lower-order approximation in the material behavior cannot predict the proper dynamic characteristics of the material which is also affected by various shapes of the elastomers as well. Therefore, in this project, a higher order, hyper elastic model for VHB 4910 DE membrane of various shapes will be used to investigate their overall dynamic characteristics subjected to different fluid flows and electric excitations. Different pre-stretch ratios of the membranes will be used to correlate the relevant dynamic characteristics. For the vibration analysis, the finite element (FE) model will be developed in the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. Then a computational fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model will be developed to observe the aeroelastic and aerodynamic characteristics of the membranes of various shapes. It is predicted that the pre-stretch ratio, electric excitation, angle of attack (AoA), and fluid flow velocities have strong influences on the overall dynamic characteristics of the membrane and can be altered accordingly for proper control of small-scale aerial structures depending on which parameters are the most influential. Investigation of the overall dynamics of DE membranes with various shapes under various flow conditions and different electric excitation will help identify the governing parameters, explore their significance on the robust design and control of small-scale aerial systems, and improve the aerodynamic efficiency.