Compliant Aggregation of Functionalities

Abstract

The aggregation of functionalities offers additional benefits to the customers such as reduced weight, reduced life cycle costs and an increased range of applications. For a compliant aggregation of functionalities according to given requirements clear instructions on how to conduct lightweight design are essential, but often not available today. High performance lightweight structures are made from carbon fiber reinforced plastics increasingly. Due to the specific composite manufacturing process four different levels of function integration are conceivable. The pre-fabrics or components of the composite can include smart materials with enhanced functionalities. The structure design can better exploit the composite potentials of anisotropic material properties. Passive components integrated into the structure provide additional functionalities as for example de-icing and lighting protection. In adaptive systems active elements significantly improves the ability of the structure to adapt changing environmental conditions. The development of the potentials resulting from the compliant aggregation of functionalities is presented in this chapter.