Smart Materials Technology for Aerospace Applications

In this article, we present some very interesting aerospace applications related to smart materials. These applications are presented in the form of three case studies. These studies relate to the control of vibration in an aircraft component, de-icing of aircraft surfaces, and the active control of broadband excitations. Although there are many different smart materials available commercially, in this article only those technologies that are based on piezoceramic materials are used in solving the above-mentioned applications. Some current and future technologies that can be developed using smart materials are discussed toward the end of the article.