Actuation System Design For A Retractable Missile Fin

In this study, smart missile fins with trailing-edge-mounted retractable wedge are investigated. The wedge stretches back or forth in the chordwise direction in a means to reduce the applied pitching moment acting on the missile fins. An actuator system, which is composed of a one-way clutch bearing, driving shaft with thread and sliding nut and a piezo-bimorph beam, has been built and tested to verify the concept of the actuator. This actuator is designed to translate the rotational motion of the shaft into the linear motion of the sliding nut to generate a desired stroke. When a voltage signal is applied at a given frequency to the piezo-element, it will bend up and down. This bending action induces an angular input to the shaft, which is then rectified with the clutch bearing to the rotational output of the shaft. Preliminary tests showed that the proposed actuator system can be very effective in generating large stroke output with relatively small voltage inputs: Nearly 19mm of actuator displacement was obtained under an input voltage of 75 V-rms at a frequency level of 700 Hz. A series of experimental tests as well as CFD calculations for missile aerodynamics have been performed to investigate the effectiveness; of the actuator.