Conventional or brushed DC motors are often used for many industrial applications. A large variety of these motors is found in automation, medical, robotics and aeronautical fields. In this paper, the design and experimental validation of a position controller for a morphing wing design application is presented. Matlab/Simulink was used to design the Proportional Integral Derivative controller. For experimental validation, tests were carried out in the Price-Païdoussis subsonic blow down wind tunnel. The upper wing surface was deformed by means of a mechanical system consisting of two eccentric shafts. Both are connected to electrical actuators. Comparisons of two sets of results are provided in this paper. The first set is related to control validation and the second set is related to aerodynamic validation.

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The paper presents the design and the experimental validation of a position controller for a morphing wing application. The actuation mechanism uses two DC motors to rotate two eccentric shafts which morph a flexible skin along two parallel actuation lines. In this way, the developed controller aim is to control the shape of a wing airfoil under different flow conditions. In order to control the actuators positions, a proportional-derivative control algorithm is used. The morphing wing system description, its actuation system structure, the control design, and its validation are highlighted in this paper. The results, obtained both by numerical simulation and experimental validation, are obtained following the control design and its validation. An analysis of the wind flow characteristics is included as a supplementary validation; the pressure coefficients obtained through numerical simulation for several desired airfoil shapes are compared with those obtained through measurements for the experimentally obtained airfoil shapes under different flow conditions.

The technique of morphing takes its origin from the bird flight and allows an airplane to change its original configuration during flight depending on the flight conditions. The main objective of the morphing is to improve the mission performance in order to optimize and control the fuel consumption efficiency. The experimental results of a morphing wing concept are presented on a part of the upper surface of the wing which is flexible. The wing was equipped with an aileron which was considered as a separated wing's entity. The objective was to reduce the drag by delaying or by moving the transition point towards the trailing edge. Another project objective was to compare the aerodynamics effects of the rigid aileron with the aerodynamic effects of the morphing aileron. The shape of the wing upper surface was modified by a set of four miniature electrical actuators inserted directly inside the wing. The positions of the actuators were controlled by four different controllers. These controllers have been designed based on the actuators simulation models. Three sets of wind tunnel tests have been performed with the manufactured demonstrator. Experimental resultsrevealed a promising controller behavior. The visualization of the flow over the wing upper surface was done with the infrared measurement technique. Using the same technique, the transition region location was estimated and compared with transition location determined by the pressure sensors array installed in the wing upper surface. Nomenclature M = Mach number α = Angle of attack β = Deflection angle CRIAQ = Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec LVDT = Linear Variable Differential Transducer

The paper focuses on the modelling, simulation and control of an electrical miniature actuator integrated in the actuation mechanism of a new morphing wing application. The morphed wing is a portion of an existing regional aircraft wing, its interior consisting of spars, stringers, and ribs, and having a structural rigidity similar to the rigidity of a real aircraft. The upper surface of the wing is a flexible skin, made of composite materials, and optimised in order to fulfill the morphing wing project requirements. In addition, a controllable rigid aileron is attached on the wing. The established architecture of the actuation mechanism uses four similar miniature actuators fixed inside the wing and actuating directly the flexible upper surface of the wing. The actuator was designed in-house, as there is no actuator on the market that could fit directly inside our morphing wing model. It consists of a brushless direct current (BLDC) motor with a gearbox and a screw for pushing and pulling the flexible upper surface of the wing. The electrical motor