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Distributed actuation concepts for a morphing aileron device

Part of: Smart Aircraft

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 June 2016

G. Amendola ,
I. Dimino ,
M. Magnifico  and
R. Pecora
G. Amendola*
Affiliation:
CIRA, The Italian Aerospace Research Centre, Smart Structures and Vibroacoustics Laboratory, Via Maiorise, Italy
I. Dimino
Affiliation:
CIRA, The Italian Aerospace Research Centre, Smart Structures and Vibroacoustics Laboratory, Via Maiorise, Italy
M. Magnifico
Affiliation:
University of Naples “Federico II” – Department of Industrial Engineering, Aerospace Division, Via Claudio, Naples, Italy
R. Pecora
Affiliation:
University of Naples “Federico II” – Department of Industrial Engineering, Aerospace Division, Via Claudio, Naples, Italy
*
g.amendola@cira.it
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Abstract

The actuation mechanism is a crucial aspect in the design of morphing structures due to the very stringent requirements involving actuation torque, consumed power, and allowable size and weight.

In the framework of the CRIAQ MD0-505 project, novel design strategies are investigated to enable morphing of aeronautical structures. This paper deals with the design of a morphing aileron with the main focus on the actuation technology. The morphing aileron consists of segmented 'finger-like' ribs capable of changing the aerofoil camber in order to match target aerodynamic shapes. In this work, lightweight and compact actuation kinematics driven by electromechanical actuators are investigated to actuate the morphing device. An unshafted distributed servo-electromechanical actuation arrangement is employed to realise the transition from the baseline configuration to a set of target aerodynamic shapes by also withstanding the aerodynamics loads. Numerical investigations are detailed to identify the optimal actuation architecture matching as well as the system integratability and structural compactness.

Keywords

Actuation systemmorphing aileronnumerical model

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 120 , Issue 1231 , September 2016 , pp. 1365 - 1385
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2016 

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