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In order to explore the methods of morphing aircraft variable-sweep and their aerodynamic characteristics, numerical simulation of the flow fields of a rotating variable-sweep wing-body and a shearing variable-sweep wing-body was conducted, and the aerodynamic characteristics and its mechanism were analyzed. Numerical simulation method of viscous compressible flow and hybrid grid of prism-hexahedron were used. The results demonstrate that: shearing variable-sweep has better characteristics than rotating variable-sweep in that the former has better lift-to-drag ratio and drag when flying at a speed in the range from M∞, 0.3 to M∞ 0.8, and the main reason is distinct flow field structure caused by the different variable-sweep methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many fundamental problems in the process of morphing of aircraft with large-scale shape change. In order to explore these problems, this paper constructed a research platform and conducted an experimental study. Based on computation of the aerodynamic characteristics of "rotating variable-sweep" and "shearing variable sweep", a variable sweep style of large-scale shearing which has relatively higher aerodynamic efficiency was designed; ex-periment model based on controllable morphing structure and continuous morphing method was constructed; and the wind tunnel experiment was conducted. The results demonstrate that: the skin, structure, actuation and control of this variable-sweep morphing aircraft with outboard wing section large-scale shearing are suitable for aerodynamic research; the quasi-steady aerodynamic characteristics curve show big aerodynamic benefit of variable sweep; the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics curve exhibit hysteresis circle, and the reasons may be wing additional velocity effect and flow-field structure hysteresis effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]