AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION OF A WIND TUNNEL MORPHING WING MODEL SUBJECT TO VARIOUS CRUISE FLOW CONDITIONS

摘要

A large-scale multi-disciplinary researchrnproject, CRIAQ 7.1, was undertaken torninvestigate a morphing wing concept forrnaircraft aerodynamic performance improvementrnover various flow conditions. The collaboratorsrnwere Ecole de Technologie Supérieure ofrnMontreal (ETS), Ecole Polytechnique ofrnMontreal (EP), Bombardier Aerospace (BA),rnThales Avionic Inc. (Thales) and the NationalrnResearch Council of Canada (NRC). Thernproject was mainly funded by the Consortiumrnfor Research and Innovation in Aerospace inrnQuebec (CRIAQ). The main objective of thernmorphing concept was to reduce drag byrnimproving the extent of laminar flow on thernwing surfaces, by delaying transition toward therntrailing edge. The wing consisted of rigid andrnflexible parts, and smart material alloyrnactuators. The investigation was based onrnnumerical simulations and wind tunnel tests.rnThe simulations involved the wing-upperrnsurface shape optimization for various cruisernflow conditions, the design of the wing and itsrnmorphing skin, the design and development ofrnthe smart actuators, and the controllers.rnThree types of controllers were built,rnfollowing three approaches. The first controllerrnwas based on experimental pressure signal datarnrecorded on the wing morphing skin surface.rnThe second controller was supplied the wingrnaerodynamic loads (lift L and drag D). In thernthird controller, the transition location on thernwing, determined by infrared measurements,rnwas used as input. The three controllers'rnfunctionality was demonstrated during benchrntests, at ETS (wind off), and in the wind tunnelrn(wind off and on) at NRC. Their performancernand behavior seemed to differ but yieldedrnapproximately the same expected wingrnaerodynamic performance improvement. A 30%rnreduction in the wing drag was achieved. In thernpresent paper, the three controllers and theirrnoperability are discussed briefly, followed by arnthorough experimental validation of therncontrollers and wing shape optimizers. Also,rnwind tunnel data in terms of pressure signals,rnwing aerodynamic loads and infraredrnmeasurements are analysed for various flowrnconditions and optimal wing shapes. Emphasisrnis placed on the effect of the optimized wingrnshapes on the wing drag reduction. The resultsrnare presented in terms of measured andrncomputed pressure coefficient profiles, wingrnloads (drag and lift), controller performancernand optimizer efficiency.