Active shape control of composite structures under thermal loading

Maintaining the shape of high-precision structures such as space antennas and optical mirrors is still a challenging issue for designers. These structures are subjected to varying temperature conditions which often introduce thermal distortions. The development of smart materials offers great potential to correct the shape and to minimize the surface error. In this study, shape control of a composite structure under thermal loading using piezocomposites is investigated. The composite structure is made of a foam core and two carbon–epoxy face sheets. Macro-fiber composite (MFC™) patches are bonded on one side of the structure. The structure is subjected to a through-the-thickness temperature gradient which induces thermal distortion, essentially in the form of bending. The objective is to apply electric potential to the MFC™ actuators such that the deflection can be minimized. Finite-element analyses are conducted using the commercial software ABAQUS. Experiments are performed to study thermally induced distortion, piezoelectric actuation, and compensation of thermal distortion using MFC™ actuators. Numerical and experimental results are compared. A control loop based on strain measurements is used to actively control the structure. The results show that MFC™ actuators can compensate thermal distortion at all times, and that this is an efficient methodology.