Compliant morphing wing - recent developments
Campanile LF, Hasse A, Previtali F, Thwapiah GY, Ermanni P (2010)
Publication Type: Conference contribution
Publication year: 2010
Pages Range: 60-73
Event location: Pennsylvania
ISBN: 978-162276318-4
Abstract
The use of compliant structures has revealed itself as one of the key ideas for the realisation of morphing airfoils. In this paper, recent developments on this area at Empa are described. The first main topic treated in this work is the development of an innovative construction philosophy which conciliates compliant mechanisms with the principles of lightweight structures. This development points at airfoils which are essentially monolithic, with no moving parts, and which are designed for the three main requirements of deformability, high loads and low weight. The paper deals on optimisation-based design procedures for such class of airfoils. The optimal layout of the structure is found by imposing prescribed properties on the eigenvalues of the stiffness matrix. The resulting design is characterised by a so-called selective compliance, which conciliates good shape controllability with the advantages of a monolithic construction and of smooth deformation patterns. As is shown by the prototypic implementation of the results, such optimisation-based procedures are particularly advantageous in conjunction with generative manufacturing techniques like Selective Laser Sintering or Melting. The second focus of the work is on the exploitation of aeroelastic coupling effects, which is made particularly efficient by employing compliant airfoils with proper bending and/or torsion compliance. The paper presents the case of a forward-swept compliant wing operating in sub- and post-critical conditions. Amplification factors of more than four were experimentally observed on the aerodynamic lift for a flow dynamic pressure of 80% of the critical value. For higher values the amplification effect becomes even stronger. This makes the use of such airfoil feasible even with low-authority smart materials as actuators. The description of the above mentioned developments is illustrated by analytical, numerical and experimental results of laboratory tests and wind-tunnel measurements. © (2010) by the International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies (ICAST).
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How to cite
APA:
Campanile, L.F., Hasse, A., Previtali, F., Thwapiah, G.Y., & Ermanni, P. (2010). Compliant morphing wing - recent developments. In Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies (pp. 60-73). Pennsylvania, US.
MLA:
Campanile, Lucio Flavio, et al. "Compliant morphing wing - recent developments." Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies, Pennsylvania 2010. 60-73.
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