No abstract

Much is known about the effects of varying camber on lift and drag performance in fixed wings but little is known about the effects of varying camber during unsteady motions. Using a 2D Discrete Vortex Method (DVM) variable camber was studied for pitching and hold motions. These motions were selected as abstractions of a simple perching maneuver. Results show that varying the camber effects the formation of the LEV and causes temporal shifts in the force histories. These changes positively affect the operational envelope of any candidate air vehicle application. This increase in performance and expansion of the flight envelope could be highly beneficial to perching where such an expansion in the aerodynamic characteristics of a given configuration could be a requisite precondition to a successful perching maneuver.