• Actuator system development
  • Shape memory alloy based actuator for aerospace, biomedical, and oil exploration applications
  • Piezoceramic actuators for precision positioning
• Sensor system development
  • Piezoceramic based sensors for impact detection and structural health monitoring
  • Fiber optical based sensors for biomedical applications and civil applications
• Vibration control and damping: active, passive, and semi-active
• Structural health monitoring
• Advanced and nonlinear controls
  • Hysteresis compensation
• Innovative teaching equipment development
• Real time control system and embedded control system development

Technical Challenges

• As offshore oil exploration goes into deeper and deeper water, new actuation technology with fast response and less weight penalty is needed
• Modern aerospace systems require with high power-to-mass ratio actuation system
• A unified early stage strength monitoring and later health monitoring method is needed for concrete structures
• Orthopedic research requires new strain sensors that are small and capable of large strain measurements
• Cardiovascular research requires pressure sensors that can be delivered via catheters with zero drift.
• Most of smart actuators possess hysteresis and hysteresis compensation is of great importance for accurate and stable controls

Recent Accomplishments*

• Developed a novel mini-displacement sensor based on optical fiber Bragg gratings
• Developed an innovative sensor for large strain measurement for biomedical applications
• Invented a novel variable area exhaust nozzle for jet engines
• Developed the piezoceramic based smart aggregator for health monitoring of concrete structures
• Designed a sliding mode based robust controller for shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators and successfully applied to several SMA actuated systems.
• Developed an automatic impact detection and health monitoring system for over-height trucks colliding with bridges
• Designed an innovative self-sensing SMA actuation system
• Developed several innovative teaching equipment

* Many of these accomplishments are outcomes of collaborative work with support from federal and state funding agencies, such as NSF, NASA, and ODOT.

Value

• Smart actuator may play an important role in ultra-deep sea oil exploration
• Smart materials technology will result in smaller and more accurate biomedical sensors
• Piezoceramic based smart aggregators will enable low-cast health monitoring of concrete structures
• Advanced control methods will make smart actuator more accurate 
• State-of-the-art research with benefit teaching via development of innovative teaching equipment