Development of an Active Wingtip for Aeroelastic Control

Abstract

This paper presents the design of an innovative wingtip device actively actuated to control the aeroelastic loads, with a focus on the gust load alleviation. It summarizes the work carried out in the Clean Sky 2 AIRGREEN2 project, where the device was developed from scratch and reached a relevant technology readiness level with the full-scale prototype manufacturing and testing, compulsory to obtain the permit to fly. This paper describes the overall design of the devices, covering the structure, the aero-servo-elasticity characteristics of the whole aircraft, the actuation system design, the scaled wind tunnel testing, and the full-scale structural qualification tests. The paper proves how the development of a new item involves several disciplines simultaneously, remarking on the importance of an integrated approach to the new generation aircraft design.