ABSTRACT Title of dissertation: MECHANISMS AND ACTUATORS FOR

The idea of improved flight performance through changes in the control surfaces dates back to the advent of aviation with the Wright brothers ’ pioneering work on “wing warping, ” but it was not until the recent progress in material and actuator development that such control surfaces seemed practical for modern aircraft. This has opened the door to a new class of aircraft that have the ability to change shape or morph, which are being investigated due to the potential to have a single platform serve multiple mission objectives, as well as improve performance characteristics. While the majority of existing research for morphing aircraft has focused on fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft have begun to receive more attention. The purpose of this body of work is to investigate the current state of morphing actuation technology for rotorcraft and improve upon it. Specifically, this work looks at two types of morphing: Pnematic Artificial Muscle (PAM) actuated trailing edge flaps and conformal variable diameter morphing First, active camber changes through the use of PAM powered trailing edge flaps were investigated due to the potential for reductions in power requirements an