Numerical design of an adaptive aileron

Abstract

The study herein described is aimed at investigating the feasibility of an innovative full-scale camber morphing aileron device. In the framework of the “Adaptive Aileron” project, an international cooperation between Italy and Canada, this goal was carried out with the integration of different morphing concepts in a wing-tip prototype. As widely demonstrated in recent European projects such as Clean Sky JTI and SARISTU, wing trailing edge morphing may lead to significant drag reduction (up to 6%) in off-design flight points by adapting chord-wise camber variations in cruise to compensate A/C weight reduction following fuel consumption. Those researches focused on the flap region as the most immediate solution to implement structural adaptations. However, there is also a growing interest in extending morphing functionalities to the aileron region preserving its main functionality in controlling aircraft directional stability. In fact, the external region of the wing seems to be the most effective in producing “lift over drag” improvements by morphing. Thus, the objective of the presented research is to achieve a certain drag reduction in off-design flight points by adapting wing shape and lift distribution following static deflections. In perspective, the developed device could also be used as a load alleviation system to reduce gust effects, augmenting its frequency bandwidth. In this paper, the preliminary design of the adaptive aileron is first presented, assessed on the base of the external aerodynamic loads. The primary structure is made of 5 segmented ribs, distributed along 4 bays, each splitted into three consecutive parts, connected with spanwise stringers. The aileron shape modification is then implemented by means of an actuation system, based on a classical quick-return mechanism, opportunely suited for the presented application. Finite element analyses were assessed for properly sizing the load-bearing structure and actuation systems and for characterizing their dynamic behavior. Obtained results are reported and widely discussed.