scholarly journals Comparative Aerodynamic Performance Analysis of Camber Morphing and Conventional Airfoils

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 10663
Author(s):  
Tuba Majid ◽  
Bruce W. Jo
Keyword(s):  
Performance Analysis ◽  
Smart Materials ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Improvement Rate ◽  
Morphing Aircraft ◽  
Morphing Wings ◽  
Flap Deflection ◽  
Morphing Technology ◽  
Foundational Work

This paper aims to numerically validate the aerodynamic performance and benefits of variable camber rate morphing wings, by comparing them to conventional ones with plain flaps, when deflection angles vary, assessing their D reduction or L/D improvement. Many morphing-related research works mainly focus on the design of morphing mechanisms using smart materials, and innovative mechanism designs through materials and structure advancements. However, the foundational work that establishes the motivation of morphing technology development has been overlooked in most research works. All things considered, this paper starts with the verification of the numerical model used for the aerodynamic performance analysis and then conducts the aerodynamic performance analysis of (1) variable camber rate in morphing wings and (2) variable deflection angles in conventional wings. Finally, we find matching pairs for a direct comparison to validate the effectiveness of morphing wings. As a result, we validate that variable camber morphing wings, equivalent to conventional wings with varying flap deflection angles, are improved by at least 1.7% in their L/D ratio, and up to 18.7% in their angle of attack, with α = 8° at a 3% camber morphing rate. Overall, in the entire range of α, which conceptualizes aircrafts mission planning for operation, camber morphing wings are superior in D, L/D, and their improvement rate over conventional ones. By providing the improvement rates in L/D, this paper numerically evaluates and validates the efficiency of camber morphing aircraft, the most important aspect of aircraft operation, as well as the agility and manoeuvrability, compared to conventional wing aircraft.

Morphing Aircraft: An Improbable Dream?

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael I. Friswell
Keyword(s):  
Smart Materials ◽  
Aircraft Design ◽  
System Level ◽  
Accurate Analysis ◽  
Bird Flight ◽  
Limited Region ◽  
Morphing Aircraft ◽  
Wing Sweep ◽  
Aircraft Performance ◽  
Morphing Technology

Compliant aircraft, with a range of deformations comparable to birds, has been a dream for many years. Earlier aviation pioneers tried to replicate aspects of bird flight, but higher air speeds and larger payloads have required aircraft design to deviate from their biological inspiration. The design of conventional fixed wing aircraft can only be optimized for a limited region of the flight envelope; mechanisms such as deployable flaps and wing sweep are used extensively to enlarge this envelope. The development of more accurate analysis tools, advanced smart materials, and the increasingly demands for improved aircraft performance, are driving research into compliant morphing aircraft. These aircraft have the potential to adapt and optimize their shape to improve flight performance or achieve multi-objective mission roles. However this technology has rarely been adopted on production aircraft. This paper will critically review the progress made to date on compliant morphing aircraft research, and summarize the challenges that need to be addressed before such technology can be adopted widely. In particular the need to demonstrate system level performance benefits for morphing technology is emphasized.

A torque matched aerodynamic performance analysis method for the horizontal axis wind turbines

Wind Energy ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 1727-1736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Al-Abadi ◽  
Özgür Ertunç ◽  
Horst Weber ◽  
Antonio Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Performance Analysis ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Horizontal Axis ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

How flight feathers stick together to form a continuous morphing wing

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 367 (6475) ◽  
pp. 293-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Y. Matloff ◽  
Eric Chang ◽  
Teresa J. Feo ◽  
Lindsie Jeffries ◽  
Amanda K. Stowers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Connective Tissue ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Elastic Compliance ◽  
Morphing Wing ◽  
Morphing Aircraft ◽  
Morphing Wings ◽  
Aerial Robot

Variable feather overlap enables birds to morph their wings, unlike aircraft. They accomplish this feat by means of elastic compliance of connective tissue, which passively redistributes the overlapping flight feathers when the skeleton moves to morph the wing planform. Distinctive microstructures form “directional Velcro,” such that when adjacent feathers slide apart during extension, thousands of lobate cilia on the underlapping feathers lock probabilistically with hooked rami of overlapping feathers to prevent gaps. These structures unlock automatically during flexion. Using a feathered biohybrid aerial robot, we demonstrate how both passive mechanisms make morphing wings robust to turbulence. We found that the hooked microstructures fasten feathers across bird species except silent fliers, whose feathers also lack the associated Velcro-like noise. These findings could inspire innovative directional fasteners and morphing aircraft.

Multi-Functional Soft Smart Materials and their Applications

2011 ◽  
Vol 410 ◽  
pp. 25-25
Author(s):  
Jin Song Leng
Keyword(s):  
Smart Materials ◽  
Ph Value ◽  
Shape Memory Polymer ◽  
Soft Materials ◽  
Aerospace Engineering ◽  
Artificial Muscles ◽  
Automobile Engineering ◽  
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems ◽  
Morphing Aircraft ◽  
Space Deployable Structures

Stimulus-active polymers can change their shapes with respect to configuration or dimension upon exposure to a particular stimulus such as heat, electricity, light, magnetic, solvent and pH value. These unique characteristics enable stimulus-active polymers to be used in a myriad of fields, including clothing manufacturing, automobile engineering, medical treatment, and aerospace engineering. Stimulus-active polymers can be applied in smart textiles and apparels, intelligent medical instruments and auxiliaries, artificial muscles, biomimetic devices, heat shrinkable materials for electronics packaging, micro-electro-mechanical systems, self-deployable sun sails in spacecrafts, miniature manipulator, actuators and sensors, and many more. This paper presents some recent progress of soft smart materials and their applications. Special emphasis is focused upon shape memory polymer (SMP), electro-active polymer (EAP) for aerospace engineering such as space deployable structures and morphing aircraft, which has highlighted the need for development of these materials. A detailed overview of development in these smart soft materials, of which the undergoing and future applications are used in adaptive structures and active control, is presented. The paper concludes with a short discussion for multi-functional soft smart materials and their composites that are expected to extend the range of development and applications available to the related researches and engineers.

scholarly journals Design of compliant mechanism-based variable camber morphing wing with nonlinear large deformation

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 172988141988674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaqing Zhang ◽  
Wenjie Ge ◽  
Ziang Zhang ◽  
Xiaojuan Mo ◽  
Yonghong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Large Deformation ◽  
Compliant Mechanisms ◽  
Compliant Mechanism ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Morphing Wing ◽  
Structure Topology ◽  
Trailing Edges ◽  
Morphing Wings

The morphing wing with large deformation can benefit its flight performance a lot in different conditions. In this study, a variable camber morphing wing with compliant leading and trailing edges is designed by large-displacement compliant mechanisms. The compliant mechanisms are carried out by a hyperelastic structure topology optimization, based on a nonlinear meshless method. A laminated leading-edge skin is designed to fit the curvature changing phenomenon of the leading edge during deformation. A morphing wing demonstrator was manufactured to testify its deformation capability. Comparing to other variable camber morphing wings, the proposal can realize larger deflection of leading and trailing edges. The designed morphing wing shows great improvement in aerodynamic performance and enough strength to resist aerodynamic and structural loadings.

scholarly journals Design and analysis of a linear servo-actuated variable-span morphing wing

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 71-82
Author(s):  
Aynul HOSSAIN ◽  
Wei WANG ◽  
Hailong YUE
Keyword(s):  
Technology Development ◽  
Shape Change ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Morphing Wing ◽  
Sensors And Actuators ◽  
Morphing Aircraft ◽  
Change Mechanisms ◽  
Variable Span ◽  
Smart Technologies

Morphing aircraft are multi-role aircraft that change their external shape substantially to adapt to a changing mission environment during flight. Current interest in morphing vehicles has been increased by advances in smart technologies such as materials, sensors and actuators. These advances have led to a series of breakthroughs in a wide variety of disciplines that, when fully realized for aircraft applications, have the potential to produce large improvements in aircraft safety, affordability, and environmental compatibility. Morphing wing designs include rotating, sliding and inflating based on shape change mechanisms. The current trend in technology development shows that there is lots to improve with regards to aircraft size, flying range and flight performance envelope. There should be a balance between shape change and the penalties in cost, complexity and weight. Final performance of the morphing aircraft depends heavily on how such balances in design, manufacture and morphing mechanism can be achieved. This paper was an attempt to design and perform a further analysis of an efficient variable span wing for aircraft and fixed wing UAVs.

Flow control method by applying flexible shells procedure in transonic flow

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
M.R. Saber ◽  
M.H. Djavareshkian
Keyword(s):  
Drag Force ◽  
Smart Materials ◽  
Transonic Flow ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Navier Stokes Equation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Flexible Shells

Purpose In the present research, the effect of the flexible shells method in unsteady viscous flow around airfoil has been studied. In the presented algorithm, due to the interaction of the aerodynamic forces and the structural stiffness (fluid-structural interaction), a geometrical deformation as the bump is created in the area where the shock occurs. This bump causes instead of compressive waves, a series of expansion waves that produce less drag and also improve the aerodynamic performance to be formed. The purpose of this paper is to reduce wave drag throughout the flight range. By using this method, we can be more effective than recent methods throughout the flight because if there is a shock, a bump will form in that area, and if the shock does not occur, the shape of the airfoil will not change. Design/methodology/approach In this simulation pressure-based procedure to solve the Navier-Stokes equation with collocated finite volume formulation has been developed. For this purpose, a high-resolution scheme for fluid and structure simulation in transonic flows with an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method is considered. To simulate Navier-Stokes equations large eddy simulation model for compressible flow is used. Findings A new concept has been defined to reduce the transonic flow drag. To reduce drag force and increase the performance of airfoil in transonic flow, the shell can be considered flexible in the area of shock on the airfoil surface. This method refers to the use of smart materials in the aircraft wing shell. Originality/value The value of the paper is to develop a new approach to improve the aerodynamic performance and reduce drag force and the efficiency of the method throughout the flight. It is noticeable that the new algorithm can detect the shock region automatically; this point was disregarded in the previous studies. It is hoped that this research will open a door to significantly enhance transonic airfoil performance.

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