Wind Tunnel Test of Morphing Flap Driven by Shape Memory Alloy Wires

Toshiyuki KOJIMA, Tadashige IKEDA, Atsuhiko SENBA, Masato TAMAYAMA, Hitoshi ARIZONO
2017 TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY JAPAN  
Morphing wings that transform their configuration seamlessly are expected to improve maneuverability and reduce noise and energy consumption of airplanes compared to conventional wings deformation including gaps and kinks. In addition, solid actuators such as electromagnetic motors and shape memory alloys (SMAs) reduce weight and maintenance cost compared to conventional hydraulic actuators. In this paper, a morphing flap model with a 500mm span × 642mm chord is developed, one-third of the
more » ... ing part of which deforms elastically. The actuator system is comprised of thin SMA wires and air blowers to improve the response of the SMA wires. Wind tunnel tests of the morphing flap model are carried out to check its controllability and examine its performance under aerodynamic loads. Nomenclature Cl : lift coefficient Clα : lift curve slope Cp : pressure coefficient Re : Reynolds number U : flow speed [m/s] α : angle of attack [deg] δ : morphing flap angle [deg]
doi:10.2322/tastj.15.a75 fatcat:33wb5irzorcx7ln7fg2t7rvvxu