Surface Shape Control Using a Shape Memory Actuator

Inhalt:
This paper aims is to implement a controlled deformation of a disc using shape memory alloys (SMA). The strains produced by SMA is used to manipulate the surface of a disc-structure. In this work, special attention was given to the design of the SMA actuator for a given structure in order to obtain the desired displacement. First, we developed an analytical model for a structure composed of three beams. It was validated using a finite element software. The exploitation of this model will allow expressing the force that the SMA actuator should apply to obtain a given displacement. This will be achieved by an appropriate choice of the diameter and the number of SMA wires, as well as the geometric and material parameters of the structure. The only constraint is the fixed width of the structure. Second, we will model a disc associated with vertical beams. SMA wires connect these beams. The activation control of the SMA wires will allow to control the curvature of the structure.