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NASA is developing a flexible carbon fiber sail that could take on new forms in mid-flight, paving the way for weave intelligence through the aerodynamics of future aircraft. The project, dubbed MADCAT, combines state-of-the-art processing, new injection molding techniques and advanced materials.
MADCAT – or Mission-Adapted Digital Composite Aerostructure Technologies – is the core work of NASA's Ames Research Center in California. The objective of the project is to develop wings that could adapt to flight conditions more significantly than traditional flaps.
Instead, the team envisioned a wing whose entire shape could be transformed and adapted, becoming the most effective form in all circumstances. Of course, such a wing must be extremely flexible, but must also react quickly to aerodynamic needs. In addition, it should be easily maintained and repaired.
The solution is an ultra-light wing made of carbon fibers. Injection molding is used to create lattice structures, which NASA calls "blocks", which are combined in a modular and interlocking way. "This variation of patterns creates a structure that can adapt flexibly and flexibly," says the space agency. "The embedded computers at the wing use algorithms to help it morph and take the most efficient form in mid-air."
The way the MADCAT treatment works is the key to the success of the Wing. A traditional computer system would have a centralized point of treatment, which would take information and then give instructions. However, this would result in an unacceptable delay, not to mention the need for an extremely powerful processor.
MADCAT uses a smaller, integrated distribution process all over the wing. Each wing is woven with sensors in the skin of the wing around the nodes, collecting data on factors such as airflow. This data is then shared between neighboring nodes, each sensor taking its information and combining it with that of its neighbor.
Rather than the raw data, each node adds its deductions and conclusions to what has been transmitted. "In other words," says NASA, the sensors do not simply transmit the recorded values. They indicate what these values really mean and can signal and interpret airflow in real time, adjusting the wing structure of the aircraft accordingly. "
Surprisingly, even though the wing is complex, it is actually easier to repair than a traditional aircraft. The individual blocks occupy a space called voxel, or volumetric pixel, and they are all identical. This means fewer unique pieces, which makes them easier to replace.
The proof of all that is in the tests, and this is something that NASA recently completed with a 14-foot-wide aircraft. The next challenge is to continue refining morphing, making construction simpler and improving reliability. In the end, the final design could make it possible to create carbon fiber composite wings adapted to all the flights, all the missions or almost all the atmospheric conditions.
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