In this paper, a physics-based approach for the design and evaluation of a conceptual morphing aircraft is presented. An efficient and accurate method for evaluating the performance of a morphing aircraft is important early in the design process, since engineers have the flexibility to alter the configuration significantly to gain desired capabilities. Traditional mission analysis tools do not possess the ability to effectively evaluate the benefit enabled by morphing mechanisms, as the geometry of the aircraft in question is often assumed to be fixed throughout an entire mission. However, with rapidly evolving morphing mechanism technologies, it is important for conceptual designers to capture the potentially beneficial effects in the early stages of design. Through methods presented in this study, as well as the outlined improvements planned for the future, it is possible to rapidly explore design spaces associated with morphing aircraft and identify designs of interest, as well as develop optimal mission trajectories for each design.
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