Morphing Aerospace Vehicles and Structures (Aerospace Series) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470972866 ISBN 13: 9780470972861

Publisher: Wiley, 2012

Synopsis

Morphing Aerospace Vehicles and Structures provides a highly timely presentation of the state-of-the-art, future directions and technical requirements of morphing aircraft. Divided into three sections it addresses morphing aircraft, bio-inspiration, and smart structures with specific focus on the flight control, aerodynamics, bio-mechanics, materials, and structures of these vehicles as well as power requirements and the use of advanced piezo materials and smart actuators. The tutorial approach adopted by the contributors, including underlying concepts and mathematical formulations, unifies the methodologies and tools required to provide practicing engineers and applied researchers with the insight to synthesize morphing air vehicles and morphing structures, as well as offering direction for future research.

About this title

About the Author

John Valasek, Texas A&M University, USA
John Valasek is Associate Professor and Director of the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory within the Aerospace Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. He has been actively conducting flight mechanics and controls research of Manned and Unmanned Air Vehicles in both Industry and Academia for 25 years. He was previously a Flight Control Engineer for the Northrop Corporation, Aircraft Division. He has published over 100 peer reviewed articles, and is co-inventor on a patent for autonomous air refueling of unmanned air vehicles. His research is currently focused on bridging the gap between traditional computer science topics and aerospace engineering topics, encompassing machine learning and multi-agent systems, intelligent autonomous control, vision based navigation systems, fault tolerant adaptive control, and cockpit systems and displays.?He teaches courses in Atmospheric Flight Mechanics, Digital Flight Control Systems, Vehicle Management Systems, Cockpit Systems & Displays, and Aircraft Design.

From the Back Cover

From the earliest times, engineers have been inspired by birds as models for flight vehicles, and more specifically, shape changing or morphing flight vehicles. A common thematic element has been to gaze upon a bird and imagine "the bird that changes into an airplane", and vice versa. Now that this vision is within reach, exciting research is investigating the methodologies and technologies required.

Morphing Aerospace Vehicles and Structures is a synthesis of the relevant disciplines and applications involved in the morphing of fixed wing flight vehicles. The book is organized into three major sections on Bio-Inspiration, Control and Dynamics, and Smart Materials and Structures. Most chapters are both tutorial and research oriented in nature, covering elementary concepts through advanced and in many cases novel methodologies. Insightful numerical and experimental results compliment the technical exposition wherever possible. To stimulate and encourage further investigation, all chapters discuss further topics for research in particular subject areas, and a summary chapter addresses broad challenges and directions for future research.

Key features:

• Features the work of leading researchers in the field of morphing flight. Covers a wide range of morphing technologies that includes Bio-Mechanics, Intelligent Control, Aerodynamics, Flight Mechanics and Control, and Smart Materials and Structures.
• Emphasizes the essential technical interdependencies of a variety of disciplines.
• Delivers practical insights while presenting a comprehensive treatment that maintains engineering and mathematical detail and rigor.
• Includes a brief history of morphing and bio-inspiration for air vehicles.

Morphing Aerospace Vehicles and Structures is an insightful reference and introduction to morphing that will be invaluable for practicing engineers and researchers in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

From the Inside Flap

From the earliest times, engineers have been inspired by birds as models for flight vehicles, and more specifically, shape changing or morphing flight vehicles.  A common thematic element has been to gaze upon a bird and imagine "the bird that changes into an airplane", and vice versa.  Now that this vision is within reach, exciting research is investigating the methodologies and technologies required. 

Morphing Aerospace Vehicles and Structures is a synthesis of the relevant disciplines and applications involved in the morphing of fixed wing flight vehicles.  The book is organized into three major sections on Bio-Inspiration, Control and Dynamics, and Smart Materials and Structures.  Most chapters are both tutorial and research oriented in nature, covering elementary concepts through advanced and in many cases novel methodologies.  Insightful numerical and experimental results compliment the technical exposition wherever possible.  To stimulate and encourage further investigation, all chapters discuss further topics for research in particular subject areas, and a summary chapter addresses broad challenges and directions for future research.  

Key features:

• Features the work of leading researchers in the field of morphing flight. Covers a wide range of morphing technologies that includes Bio-Mechanics, Intelligent Control, Aerodynamics, Flight Mechanics and Control, and Smart Materials and  Structures.
• Emphasizes the essential technical interdependencies of a variety of disciplines.
• Delivers practical insights while presenting a comprehensive treatment that maintains engineering and mathematical detail and rigor.
• Includes a brief history of morphing and bio-inspiration for air vehicles.

Morphing Aerospace Vehicles and Structures  is an insightful reference and introduction to morphing that will be invaluable for practicing engineers and researchers in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470972866
• ISBN 13: 9780470972861
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Valasek John