Development of a Morphing Micro Air Vehicle Wing Using the Combined POD and LSE Techniques

Abstract

The current research is based on a flow structure interaction problem in which a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) wing experiences flow induced vibrations. The purpose of the current research is to use low dimensional tools , such as T he Combined Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and Linear Stochastic Estimation (LSE) technique , to develop flow control methods for the MAV. The heart of the Combined POD and LSE technique lies in its ability to use dynamic strain measu rements from the wing to estimate the velocity flow field . When combined with piezoelectric devices , this technique aid s in the development of a n active MA V wing that has both sensing and morphing capabilit ies . In this paper we review the work to date whe re we have demonstrated the ability to estimate the wake flow velocity from dynamic strain. We then compare the strain spectrum from the MAV wing between measurements made both with and without piezoelectric actuation . We find that we are able to change t he strain spectrum in such a way to suggest that we can obtai n significant control authority with the current setup. As a n ecessary step in the approach, we also investigate the structural behavior of the MAV wing.