The International Symposium on Smart Aircraft – A Special Issue

Selected papers focus on the application of the fundamentals of aerodynamic optimisation and the design principles of smart morphing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to the micro-mechanics of composite materials across a wide range of size scales of structural integrity, from events that occur in the material to future trends in the predictive design of large-scale aircraft structures. Papers on rotorcraft systems for urban air mobility, endurance improvement by battery damping strategy and vibration suppression of a microsatellite with flexible appendages based on smart structures can be found in addition to microwave energy for curing and damage sensing of aircraft composite structures. Modern numerical modelling of thin anisotropic composite membranes that could lead to considerable weight reductions for smart aerospace structures and the development of a fire detection and suppression system for smart air cargo container are also presented.