AEROMORPH: Aerospace Morphing via Integrated Sense, Assess and Respond

This Center of Excellence (COE) will conduct fundamental research that transforms the way in which conventional distributed sensing, state estimation, morphing structures, and control are applied to high-speed aerospace systems. Our team will address the limitation of conventional feedback loops using novel sensing motifs and inherent coupling to adaptive structures to create an agile and robust aerospace system with integrated sense, assess, and respond functionality. To achieve this goal, we propose an inter-disciplinary approach that leverages diverse methodologies and team member expertise in information theory, physics-based models, reservoir computing, sensors for high-speed environments, morphing structures, control, and experimental aerodynamics to meet the goals of an integrated sense, assess, and respond framework. This foundational research will explore and develop advanced information processing methods that can rapidly convert sensor data into actionable information through a physical interpretation of aerodynamic structural dynamic responses in real-time. Relationships between information theory and physical models will advance beyond conventional statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, and dynamical systems and will be tested experimentally to demonstrate how adaptive aerospace structures extract data, convert it into information, and formulate knowledge about complex aerospace structures operating in high-speed environments. This information will be used to define morphing materials requirements and help guide systems integration for nonlinear control strategies. We will apply tools from information theory, network science, reduced-order multi-physics fluid-structure modeling, physical reservoir computing, advanced sensing, experimental aerodynamics, and control to create an integrated sense, assess, and respond aerodynamic system. This research will be executed in close collaboration with AFRL-RW, RX, and RQ through workforce development and joint projects to facilitate transition of fundamental research to the next generation warfighter.

 

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*Picture from the UF engineering news webpage

Investigators: 
Non-IMG Investigators: 
Patrick Musgrave
Ryan Gosse
Lawrence Ukeiley
Start date: 
Friday, October 27, 2023
Total award: 
$5 million
Project status: