A parametric study to determine the behavior of lightweight piezo-composite curved actuators used in micro aerial vehicle applications

This paper focuses on a parametric study to determine the behavior of LIPCA when used in control surfaces of MAVs. We developed two MAVs, Spot in 2002 and Batwing in 2003. These MAVs used a servo motor as an actuator for the control surfaces, such as elevator and rudder. Our final goal will be to replace the servo motor with a newly developed LIPCA. The required actuation angle of the LIPCA elevator equivalent to the actuation angle of a conventional MAV elevator was calculated using the X-FOIL program. The actuation angles of the LIPCA elevator were monitored with respect to parameters such as PZT thickness, carbon/epoxy angle, and curvature.