Engineers make new drone wings using 4D composite printing

The researchers explained that the aviation industry faces numerous challenges,

associated with rising fuel prices and climate change. Scientists are looking for new methods to reduce costs and improve overall efficiency, including for UAVs.

Now engineers from Concordia University(Canada) presented a method that makes drone wings cheaper and more efficient in flight. Using 4D printing, the authors showed Adaptive Compliant Edge (ACTE) wings. The experimental technology replaces the commonly used hinged flaps with ones that are attached to the main wing body but can flex right during flight.

Composite 4D printing is more complex.It is based on a combination of long, thin strands held in place by resin. Each strand is only 10 microns thick, a tenth of the diameter of a human hair. The composite printer unfolds the mixture of filaments and resin into ultra-thin layers at 90˚ angles to each other. The layers are compacted together and dried in an oven at 180˚C and then cooled down to 0˚C, creating a hard but not brittle object.

As the authors explain in their article, thisallowed them to create uniformly curvature wing materials that sit between the top and bottom surfaces of the flaps. It is flexible and strong enough to withstand the 20˚ deflection required for the wing to maneuver in flight.

“Our idea is that the wing can easily change its shape during flight, which would be a big advantage over fixed-wing aircraft,” the researchers noted.

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