Search

This novel research evaluates how an adaptive winglet can improve an aircraft flight performance. A one-rotation axis adaptive winglet was designed and applied to the CRJ700 aircraft. Then, using a validated aerodynamic model, several winglet deflection angles were analyzed for several flight conditions of the CRJ700. The paper shows that the lift-over-drag ratio or the fitness of the aircraft was improved by up to 5.42% using an adaptive winglet for typical CRJ700 cruise conditions. Finally, it was simulated aerodynamic performance during a cruise performed at Mach number 0.75. This research shows that the adaptive winglet allows a regional aircraft such the CRJ700 to improve its cruise performance in terms of lift, drag of lift-to-drag ratio. Moreover, it has shown that the adaptive configuration allows to customize the optimization criteria in flight, which is an interesting advantage.

The paper deals with a new morphing wing application developed with a full-scale portion of a regional aircraft. Shown are: the design of the control system for the actuation mechanism based on four miniature high-force in-house developed electrical actuators, the testing of the controlled morphing wing on bench and wind tunnel, and the evaluation of the aerodynamic gain of the morphing wing technology on the experimental model (pressure signals analysis, and infra-red thermography visualizations)., 30th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies, ICAST 2019, October 7-11, 2019, Montreal, Canada

The main objectives of this research work are: the design and the wind tunnel testing of a controller for a new morphing mechanism using smart materials made of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) for the actuators, and the aero-elasticity studies for the morphing wing. The finally obtained configuration for the controller is a combination of a bi-positional controller (on-off) and a PI (proportional-integral) controller, due to the two phases (heating and cooling) of the SMA wires' interconnection. Firstly, the controller is used for the open loop development step of a morphing wing project, while, further, it is included as an internal loop in the closed loop architecture of the morphing wing system. In the controller design procedure four step are considered: 1) SMA actuators model numerical simulation for different loading force cases; 2) linear system approximation in the heating and cooling phases using Matlab's System Identification Toolbox and the numerical values obtained in the first step; 3) selecting the controller type and its tuning for each of the two SMA actuators' phases - heating and cooling; and 4) integration of the two controllers just obtained into a single controller. For the controller validation three actions are taken: 1) numerical simulation; 2) bench testing; and 3) wind tunnel testing. For the third part of this study, aeroelastic studies, the purpose is to determine the flutter conditions in order to be avoided during wind tunnel tests. These studies show that aeroelastic instabilities for the morphing configurations considered appears at Mach number 0.55, which is higher than the wind tunnel Mach number limit speed of 0.3. © 2011 by Ruxandra Botez., AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference 2011, 8 August 2011 through 11 August 2011, Portland, OR

A large-scale multi-disciplinary research project, CRIAQ 7.1, was undertaken to investigate a morphing wing concept for aircraft aerodynamic performance improvement over various flow conditions. The collaborators were Ecole de Technologie Supérieure of Montreal (ETS), Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal (EP), Bombardier Aerospace (BA), Thales Avionic Inc. (Thales) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). The project was mainly funded by the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec (CRIAQ). The main objective of the morphing concept was to reduce drag by improving the extent of laminar flow on the wing surfaces, by delaying transition toward the trailing edge. The wing consisted of rigid and flexible parts, and smart material alloy actuators. The investigation was based on numerical simulations and wind tunnel tests. The simulations involved the wing-upper surface shape optimization for various cruise flow conditions, the design of the wing and its morphing skin, the design and development of the smart actuators, and the controllers. Three types of controllers were built, following three approaches. The first controller was based on experimental pressure signal data recorded on the wing morphing skin surface. The second controller was supplied the wing aerodynamic loads (lift L and drag D). In the third controller, the transition location on the wing, determined by infrared measurements, was used as input. The three controllers’functionality was demonstrated during bench tests, at ETS (wind off), and in the wind tunnel (wind off and on) at NRC. Their performance and behavior seemed to differ but yielded approximately the same expected wing aerodynamic performance improvement. A 30% reduction in the wing drag was achieved. In the present paper, the three controllers and their operability are discussed briefly, followed by athorough experimental validationof the controllers and wing shape optimizers. Also, wind tunnel data in terms of pressure signals, wing aerodynamic loads and infrared measurements are analysed for various flow conditions and optimal wing shapes. Emphasis is placed on the effect of the optimized wing shapes on the wing drag reduction. The results are presented in terms of measured and computed pressure coefficient profiles, wing loads (drag and lift), controller performance and optimizer efficiency., 27th International Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences ICAS 2010, Sept. 19-24, 2010, Nice, France

A new wing-tip concept with morphing upper surface and interchangeable conventional and morphing ailerons was designed, manufactured, bench and wind-tunnel tested. The development of this wing-tip model was performed in the frame of an international CRIAQ project, and the purpose was to demonstrate the wing upper surface and aileron morphing capabilities in improving the wing-tip aerodynamic performances. During numerical optimisation with ‘in-house’ genetic algorithm software, and during wind-tunnel experimental tests, it was demonstrated that the air-flow laminarity over the wing skin was promoted, and the laminar flow was extended with up to 9% of the chord. Drag coefficient reduction of up to 9% was obtained when the morphing aileron was introduced.

A new wing-tip concept with morphing upper surface and interchangeable conventional and morphing ailerons was designed, manufactured, bench and wind tunnel tested. The development of this wing tip was done in the frame of an international CRIAQ project, and the purpose was to demonstrate the upper surface morphing and aileron morphing capabilities in improving the wing tip aerodynamic performances. During numerical optimization with ‘in-house’ genetic algorithm software, and during wind tunnel experimental tests, it was demonstrated that the air flow laminar state was extended and drag coefficient reduction were obtained., 55th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, 9-13 January 2017, Grapevine, Texas, USA