Optimization, design and testing for morphing leading edge

Abstract

Wing's morphing leading edge, drooping in a seamless way, has significant potential for noise abatement and drag reduction. Innovative design methods for compliant skin and internal actuating mechanism, respectively, are proposed and validated through a mockup in this paper. For the skin, a collaborative optimization method is presented, which takes all design variables, continuous and discrete, into account simultaneously. Moreover, to overcome the drawback of conventional algorithm, which is insufficient for deformation control in critical regime, weight penalty is imposed on present objective function. On the other hand, an internal kinematic actuating mechanism is designed from an improved concept, of which positions of level-rod hinges are optimized in a larger zone to fit the deflection requirement. The test of mockup validates the above methods, and excellent morphing quality of the compliant skin proves the advancement of the collaborative optimization method. However, the design method of internal actuating mechanism needs further improvement, and the error induced deteriorates the final morphing quality of the mockup.