Shape Shifting Target

Abstract

This article is a study of morphing aircrafts, which has attracted many research groups around the globe. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have some attractive features for aeronautic research. An important factor in morphing systems is the scale of the air vehicle on which they will be incorporated. With the development of more accurate analysis tools and advanced smart materials, researchers are once again investigating compliant morphing aircraft to improve aircraft performance. Such an aircraft would have the potential to adapt and optimize their shape to improve flight performance or to achieve multi-objective mission roles. Low aspect ratio wings provide more manoeuvrability and allow for high flight speeds, but at the cost of efficiency. An aircraft can be fast or efficient, but not both. Compliant control surfaces also lack the discontinuities found in hinged mechanisms, and thus have the potential to reduce drag and noise significantly. Compliant structures are promising solutions because of their low weight and maintenance costs. Large-scale morphing on commercial aircraft may not be practical in the near term. But the application of morphing to secondary structures, such as a compliant control surface, is a realistic goal.