Structural Design and Control of Variable Camber Wing Driven by Ultrasonic Motors

A novel variable camber wing driven by ultrasonic motors is proposed.Key techniques of distributed layout of drive mechanisms,coordination control of distributed ultrasonic motors as well as novel flexible skin undergoing one-dimensional morphing are studied.The system integration of small variable camber wing is achieved.Distributed layout of parallelogram linkages driven by geared ultrasonic motors is adopted for morphing,aimed at reducing the load for each motor and producing various aerodynamic configurations suitable for different flying states.Programmable system-on-chip(PSoC)is used to realize the coordination control of the distributed ultrasonic motors.All the morphing driving systems are assembled in the interior of the wing.The wing surface is covered with a novel smooth flexible skin in order to maintain wing shape and decrease the aerodynamic drag during morphing.Wind tunnel test shows that the variable camber wing can realize morphing under low speed flight condition.Lift and drag characteristics and aerodynamic efficiency of the wing are improved.Appropriate configurations can be selected to satisfy aerodynamic requirements of different flight conditions.The study provides a practical application of piezoelectric precision driving technology in flow control.

Design and validation of a variable camber wing structure

Variable camber wing technology is one of the important development trends of green aviation at present.Through smooth,seamless,continuous and adaptive change of wing camber,the aerodynamic performance is improved in achieving increase in lift and reduction in resistance and noise.Based on the aerodynamic validation model CAE-AVM,Chinese Aeronautical Establishment(CAE)has carried out the design and validation of a variable camber wing,proposed an aerodynamic deformation matrix for the leading and trailing edges of aircraft wings in takeoff,landing and cruise conditions.Various structures and driving schemes are compared,and several key technology problems of leading and trailing edge deformation are solved.A full-size leading edge wind tunnel test piece with a span of 2.7 m and a trailing edge ground function test piece are developed.The deformation and shape maintenance capabilities of the leading edge is verified under real wind load conditions,and the load bearing and deformation capabilities of the trailing edge is verified under simulated follow-on load.The results indicate that the leading and trailing edges of the variable camber wing can achieve the required deformation angle and have a certain load-bearing capacity.Our study can provide some insights into the application of variable camber wing technology for civil aircraft.