Deployable mechanism design for span morphing wing aircraft

Abstract

Compared with traditional aircrafts, span morphing wing aircrafts can change their span according to different flight conditions and missions to improve flight performances. Also, it has advantages in storage and transportation. In this paper, a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) mechanism based on Sarrus linkages is presented and applied to the construction of a span morphing wing aircraft. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation shows that the deployable mechanism generates slight influence on the drag coefficient while having a relatively strong influence on the lift coefficient and lift to drag ratio. Finite Element Model (FEM) methods are used to analyze the mechanical properties of the mechanism during flight. The results indicate that the maximum stress 45:5 Mpa occurs at the link connected to the base link. A series of flight experiments were conducted to prove that the mechanism enables the span change smoothly and improves the flight performances effectively.