ABSTRACT
Aircraft wings are required to operate under a multitude of different aerodynamic conditions. Most wings are designed to only deliver maximum efficiency at specific conditions such as the cruise conditions of the aircraft, for example. Modern aircraft are however equipped with devices such as slats and flaps that change the wing shape to allow the wing to deliver improved aerodynamic characteristics under varying conditions. Most of these devices use a joint or hinge mechanism and are relatively effective at controlling the airflow over the wings, but also introduce losses in aerodynamic efficiency due to discontinuities that they create in the wing surface. These devices also create large point loads at the hinge locations, resulting in an increased likelihood of failure occurring at these locations. The research presented here focuses on the iterative design method followed in the design and development of a wing capable of changing its shape during operation. The problem at hand is thus to change the shape characteristics of a wing, without introducing wing-surface discontinuities as well as distributing the load experienced by the morphing mechanism over a larger area. By creating a morphing wing utilising flexible materials, traditional mechanically controlled and complex wing morphing devices can be replaced by a single and topologically simpler structure. For this research, a focus will be placed on the design and structural characteristics of the wing and shape-changing mechanism. Even though the project is somewhat related to aeronautics, the aerodynamic performance of the prototypes as well as the final design will mostly be ignored for this iteration of the project. Consideration of time dependent effects such as creep or fatigue as well as how the final designed will attach to the aircraft will not form part of the project scope.
