The laboratory is organized into two technical thrusts:
- Aerodynamics and Design of Micro Air Vehicles.
- Fracture mechanics and structural health monitoring.
Aerodynamics and Design of Micro Air Vehicles.
The small size and mass of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) pose significant scientific and technical challenges regarding their structure and shape, aerodynamics and control. The biomimetic approach utilized in the current projects provides unique capabilities oriented towards identifying, modeling, and demonstrating autonomous, flexible, and reconfigurable flight. The demonstrated capabilities of the Laboratory include:
- Modeling and simulation of the aerodynamics of fixed and flapping wings for Micro Air Vehicles.
- Design and demonstration of tele-operated Micro-Air Vehicles with in-flight adaptive wings.
- Fully autonomous Micro Air Vehicles.
Fracture mechanics and structural health monitoring
This thrust includes experimental and theoretical/computational research addressing issues related to aging aircraft structures. Specifically, we have investigated:
- Mechanics of failure of structural components.
- Crack-repairing methods in aircraft.
- Airframe damage tolerance concepts through computer-aided design.