Patent — available for licensing
Outer Aileron Yaw Damper
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
In recent years, NASA, along with partners Boeing and Area-I Inc., have developed the spanwise adaptive wing (SAW). SAWs leverage a thermally-triggered actuator made from a NASA-developed shape memory alloy (SMA) to allow outer portions of aircraft wings and control surfaces to be folded to achieve optimal angles during flight. For supersonic aircraft, SAWs can reduce drag and increase performance during the transition from subsonic to supersonic speeds. For subsonic aircraft, SAWs offer increased control and reduced dependency on the tail rudder and associated hydraulic systems - a particularly heavy part of the aircraft. Engineers at NASA AFRC realized the aircraft weight savings that could be achieved by reducing or eliminating rudder dependency, since this would allow for rudder size to be reduced. So, they set out to develop an alternative system capable of providing the same "yaw control" functionality as traditional rudders. This work resulted in the invention of NASAs outer aileron yaw damper system, which includes novel control algorithms that drive flight control surfaces to produce desired flight conditions.