Robust aerodynamic morphing shape optimization for high-lift missions

Abstract

Morphing wings have a great potential to enhance the overall performances of the aircraft by adapting the wing shape to various flight conditions. However, there are some issues concerning the applicability of this idea at high-lift missions. An important problem is the need for more actuators along the airfoil that may face with the weight penalty. This mainly arises from the design parameterization methods that are unable to effectively control the leading and trailing edge deformations without modifying the middle part of the airfoil. In this work, a new parameterization method is presented for optimum morphing wing section design at high-lift missions that tends to minimize the number of actuators by increasing un-morphed middle sections of the wing. Genetic algorithm is used for shape optimization and the aerodynamic objective function is calculated by the numerical solution of the compressible turbulent flow equations. Results show that the new method is capable of generating high-lift morphing geometry with minimum shape transformation. In addition, higher lift coefficient is achieved in less computational time by the new method compared with the alternative flexible leading edge airfoil.