Deployment analysis of adaptive aircraft structures using high-fidelity FSI

摘要

This paper investigates the deployment of an adaptive wing structure used to morph an aerofoil cross-section to increase lift and delay stall. Such structures exhibit a conflict of design interests: they must be compliant to enable the structure to 'morph', and stiff to withstand aerodynamic loads and maintain flight. It is difficult to design a structure which is both flexible and stiff whilst respecting the target geometries the aerodynamic surfaces must take. Even if compliance to achieve shape change is localised, it is still likely to have an impact on the overall shape formed by the aerofoil. Moreover this compliance could contribute to aeroelastic phenomenon such as flutter. It is therefore important to consider this fluid-structure interaction (FSI) in the design phase of the adaptive structure to predict in-service performance and identify key design features arising from this interaction. This paper investigates the design of such a structure through examination of FSI modelled via coupled FEA and CFD; design exploration studies are then applied to this parameterised process to investigate variations in actuation and rate of deployment.