Aeroelastic deployable wing simulation considering rotation hinge joint based on flexible multibody dynamics

Abstract

Morphing wings have been developed by several organizations for a variety of applications including the changing of flight ability while in the air and reducing the amount of space required to store an aircraft. One such example of morphing wings is the deployable wing that is expected to be used for Mars exploration. When designing wings, aeroelastic simulation is important to prevent the occurrence of destructive phenomena while the wing is in use. Flutter and divergence are typical issues to be addressed. However, it has been difficult to simulate the aeroelastic motion of deployable wings because of the significant differences between these deployable wings and conventional designs. The most apparent difference is the kinematic constraints of deployment, typically a hinge joint. These constraints lead not only to deformation but also to rigid body rotation. This research provides a novel method of overcoming the difficulties associated with handling these kinematic constraints. The proposed method utilizes flexible multibody dynamics and absolute nodal coordinate formulation to describe the dynamic motion of a deployable wing. This paper presents the simulation of the rigid body rotation around the kinematic constraints as induced by the aeroelasticity. The practicality of the proposed method is confirmed.