Development of a New Span-Morphing Wing Core Design

Bishay, Peter L.; Burg, Erich; Akinwunmi, Akinwande; Phan, Ryan T.; Sepulveda, Katrina

doi:10.3390/designs3010012

Cited by 22 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The optimization study provided a good insight into the mechanics of this highly coupled design problem. Recently, Bishay et al [20] introduced a new design for the core of a span-morphing UAV capable of 50% continuous span morphing. The wing comprised multiple partitions built with three main components: a zero Poisson's ratio honeycomb substructure, telescoping carbon fiber spars, and a linear actuator.…”

Section: Span Morphing Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

A Polymorphing Wing Capable of Span Extension and Variable Pitch

Parancheerivilakkathil

Haider

Ajaj

et al. 2022

Aerospace

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This paper presents the development of a novel polymorphing wing capable of Active Span morphing And Passive Pitching (ASAPP) for small UAVs. The span of an ASAPP wing can be actively extended by up to 25% to enhance aerodynamic efficiency, whilst its pitch near the wingtip can be passively adjusted to alleviate gust loads. To integrate these two morphing mechanisms into one single wing design, each side of the wing is split into two segments (e.g., inboard and outboard segments). The inboard segment is used for span extension whilst the outboard segment is used for passive pitch. The inboard segment consists of a main spar that can translate in the spanwise direction. Flexible skin is used to cover the inboard segment and maintain its aerodynamic shape. The skin transfers the aerodynamic loads to the main spar through a number of ribs that can slide on the main spar through linear plain bearings. A linear actuator located within the fuselage is used for span morphing. The inboard and outboard segments are connected by an overlapping spar surrounded by a torsional spring. The overlapping spar is located ahead of the aerodynamic center of the outboard segment to facilitate passive pitch. The aero-structural design, analysis, and sizing of the ASAPP wing are detailed here. The study shows that the ASAPP wing can be superior to the baseline wing (without morphing) in terms of aerodynamic efficiency, especially when the deformation of the flexible skin is minimal. Moreover, the passive pitching near the wingtip can reduce the root loads significantly, minimizing the weight penalty usually associated with morphing.

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Section: Span Morphing Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

A Polymorphing Wing Capable of Span Extension and Variable Pitch

Parancheerivilakkathil

Haider

Ajaj

et al. 2022

Aerospace

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…According to Barbarino et al [3], aircraft wing morphing can be classified into three categories: planform alteration, outof-plane transformation, and airfoil adjustment. Planform (or in-plane) alteration causes geometric changes to the wing, in which the cross-section of the airfoil does not change [8]. Examples include sweep-, span-, and chord-morphing designs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and Analysis of MataMorph-3: A Fully Morphing UAV with Camber-Morphing Wings and Tail Stabilizers

et al. 2022

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Conventional aircraft use discrete flight control surfaces to maneuver during flight. The gaps and discontinuities of these control surfaces generate drag, which degrades aerodynamic and power efficiencies. Morphing technology aims to replace conventional wings with advanced wings that can change their shape to control the aircraft with the minimum possible induced drag. This paper presents MataMorph-3, a fully morphing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with camber-morphing wings and tail stabilizers. Although previous research has presented successful designs for camber-morphing wing core mechanisms, skin designs suffered from wrinkling, warping, or sagging problems that result in reduced reliability and aerodynamic efficiency. The wing and tail stabilizers of MataMorph-3 feature hybrid ribs with solid leading-edge sections that house servomotors, and compliant trailing-edge sections with integrated flexible ribbons that are connected to the servomotors to camber-morph the ribs. Thin laminated carbon fiber composite skin slides smoothly over the compliant rib sections upon morphing, guided by innovative trailing-edge sliders and skin-supporting linkage mechanisms strategically located between the ribs. Sample prototypes were built and tested to show the effectiveness of the proposed design solutions in enabling smooth camber-morphing. The proposed design provides a better alternative to stretchable skins in morphing airplane designs through the concept of skin sliding.

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“…To increase the spanwise length of the wing of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), Bishay et al [11] studied a new design for the core of span-morphing. The purpose of morphing the wingspan is to increase lift and fuel efficiency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%