Design of a morphing actuated aileron with chiral composite internal structure

The paper presents the development of numerical models referred to a morphing actuated aileron. The structural solution adopted consists of an internal part made of a composite chiral honeycomb that bears a flexible skin with an adequate combination of flexural stiffness and in-plane compliance. The identification of such structural frame makes possible an investigation of different actuation concepts based on diffused and discrete actuators installed in the skin or in the skin-core connection. An efficient approach is presented for the development of aeroelastic condensed models of the aileron, which are used in sensitivity studies and optimization processes. The aerodynamic performances and the energy required to actuate the morphing surface are evaluated and the definition of a general energetic performance index makes also possible a comparison with a rigid aileron. The results show that the morphing system can exploit the fluid-structure interaction in order to reduce the actuation energy and to attain considerable variations in the lift coefficient of the airfoil.