Design of morphing wing with surface discontinuity

Abstract

Aircraft wing morphing or radical shape change in flight has long been the subject of inquisitive research around the world. It happens because morphing ensures optimal adaptation to any flight conditions such as take-off, cruise, landing and other manoeuvres. The current state of material engineering is not yet in a position to provide adequate technologies to achieve such significant changes in the wing’s shape as morphing requires, though interesting progress can be observed. This article presents a new concept of the wing morphing, which potentially circumvents problems related to the elastic deformation of the wing structure. The first part of this article presents the principle of the operation and capabilities of the morphing wing, while the second part focuses on preparation for investigation of its numerical aerodynamic characteristics as groundwork to wind tunnel research.