Variable camber wing is capable of morphing its leading and trailing edges with response to the flight environment variation, which offers vast prospects in future aircrafts with less fuel consumption and lower flight cost. The flexural hinge structure, characterized by its small size, flexible movement, and low mechanical friction, is suitable to be used in variable camber wings. This paper presents a novel design of variable camber wing with flexural hinges. The aerodynamic performance of the variable camber wing with flexural hinges is evaluated by either the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, and the wind tunnel tests with a scale-size demonstration model. The results show that the drag on the variable camber wing is lower than the traditional wing with flaps during takeoff, which results in high lift-to-drag ratio of variable camber wing. In the cruise phase, with the increase in wing curvature, the lift growth rate exceeds the drag, leading to a significant increase in the lift-to-drag ratio. This, in turn, reduces fuel consumption and enhances the endurance of the unmanned aerial vehicle. This research shows the potential of applying flexural hinge in variable camber wings for the future morphing aircrafts.

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Application of Flexural Hinges in Variable Camber Wing: Morphing Capability and Aerodynamic Performance Evaluation

  • Zuojia Liao,
  • Wei Xia,
  • Yunshan Liu,
  • Yupeng Feng,
  • Tong Guo,
  • Shuling Hu

摘要

Variable camber wing is capable of morphing its leading and trailing edges with response to the flight environment variation, which offers vast prospects in future aircrafts with less fuel consumption and lower flight cost. The flexural hinge structure, characterized by its small size, flexible movement, and low mechanical friction, is suitable to be used in variable camber wings. This paper presents a novel design of variable camber wing with flexural hinges. The aerodynamic performance of the variable camber wing with flexural hinges is evaluated by either the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, and the wind tunnel tests with a scale-size demonstration model. The results show that the drag on the variable camber wing is lower than the traditional wing with flaps during takeoff, which results in high lift-to-drag ratio of variable camber wing. In the cruise phase, with the increase in wing curvature, the lift growth rate exceeds the drag, leading to a significant increase in the lift-to-drag ratio. This, in turn, reduces fuel consumption and enhances the endurance of the unmanned aerial vehicle. This research shows the potential of applying flexural hinge in variable camber wings for the future morphing aircrafts.