Flying smart: Smart materials used in aviation industry

Abstract

In one way or the other, all of the world’s major scientific inventions have been dependent on the materials available at that time. Edison was able to invent light bulb only because Tungsten, a material capable to sustain high temperature, was available to him. Wright brothers were able to make their airplane fly because their engine was made out of aluminium and not steel, which kept their aircraft light weight. Materials play an important part in defining the function of the structure, they are used for making. In the 21st century entire world is moving towards automation and artificial intelligence so it becomes necessary that the structures, that are made, be intelligent and smart so as to adapt to their surrounding thus increasing efficiency and reducing the complexity in designing. There is a need to develop smart structures for aerospace application which can suffice the demands of this expanding industry. Smart materials like Shape Memory Alloys (SMA), piezoelectric materials, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), Shape Memory Polymer (SMP) etc. are the materials that make up the backbone for latest aerospace application. Developing materials that can be used for morphing application is of strategic and economic importance for both civil and military application. For morphing application, the element of the material should be one that can possess variable stiffness and allow the shape change to be a reversible process. This paper reviews different types of smart materials that are used in the field of aerospace and explores their application. This paper will help future students and researchers gain a concise knowledge of smart materials used in the world of aerospace and will pave a way for future work that needs to be done in this field.