Demand for air travel is increasing very fast. In the past 3 decades, the air network has steadily expanded 4.5 percent yearly. Unfortunately, air travel also contributes to a variety of problems,…

This federal contract award was made by the Shared Services Center, a civilian agency, to the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) under Cooperative Agreement NNX15AV88A. The award, valued at $213,678.23, supports research and development for "Modeling and Control of Smart Material Enhanced Lattice Based Cellular Composite Morphing Wings." The goal is to improve aerodynamic efficiency and fuel efficiency of air travel by enabling active wing shaping to adapt to changing environmental conditions. UCSC, a Hispanic-Serving Institution and land grant university, will leverage its expertise in areas like astrophysics, marine sciences, and advanced materials to address this challenge. The contract does not have a set-aside designation, reflecting UCSC's status as a large research institution. This award may be part of a broader federal program focused on aviation technology and sustainability.

Demand for air travel is increasing very fast. In the past 3 decades, the air network has steadily expanded 4.5 percent yearly. Unfortunately, air travel also contributes to a variety of problems, IT is estimated that between 1995 and 2050, air travel CO2 emissions will increase by 36 percent. One possible approach to address these issues is to improve aerodynamics efficiency, which directly translates into fuel efficiency. To achieve this, the current research proposes a paradigm shifting approach, where the wing shape is actively adjusted to account for changing environment conditions speed, wind direction, altitude, load, etc. Recent research has shown that the lattice based cellular materials provide distinct advantages for active wing shaping applications that can improve aerodynamic efficiency. We propose to use the enabling technology of the lattice based cellular material to explore the capability of improved aerodynamic efficiency through reduced weight and increased lift drag ratio via wing shaping by taking advantage of the unique structure to create quick and efficient control algorithms. This can be further aided through the selective and intelligent use of smart materials.