Design and Modeling of the Fowler Flap With Adaptive Elements

Abstract

This paper describes the process of the designing of the Fowler flap with adaptive elements. Modern passenger and transport aircraft use high lift devices for take off and landing. Of great importance for the creation of high lift during take off and landing is the shape and size of the gap between wing and extended Fowler flap. To improve the deformation behaviour of the leading edge of this flap, and to improve the geometry of the gap, it was decided to use shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators in the flap structure. First, the complex finite element model of the passive flap was created and then this model was extended with active elements, which are modelling the SMA actuators. As a result, the complex finite element model of the active flap was obtained. This modelling was done using software MATLAB and a finite element model was created using software ANSYS. The main result of this work is that with help of SMA actuators integrated in the flap it was possible to influence and improve the geometry of the gap between the wing and the extended flap, resulting in the aerodynamic efficiency of this flap being increased.