Optimized design of real-scale A320 morphing high-lift flap with shape memory alloys and innovative skin

Abstract

This article proposes a design approach based on multi-criteria optimization. Applied to the conceptual design of a cambered control flap of Airbus A320, different skin technologies and actuator topologies are compared. Amongst the possible shape memory alloy actuators, an agonist-antagonist solution is found the most suitable for the application. Elastic skins are compared to a bioinspired innovative skin and feather concept. The results are based on simplified but realistic aircraft specifications that consider environment and industrial concerns. Finally, the optimization results in a feasible low weight, low power consumption morphing wing design. This design is a basis for detailed incoming integrated aircraft system.

Numerical investigation of frequency-amplitude effects of dynamic morphing for a high-lift configuration at high Reynolds number

“…Our numerical study focuses on the morphing by means of MFC (piezoactuators) near the trailing edge region at low-amplitudes with higher frequencies, applied to a twoelement A320 airfoil/flap configuration having a chord of 2.40 m and a flap's chord of 1 m at the take-off position and Reynolds number of 2.25x10 6 . This corresponds to a near scale 1 configuration of the A320's flap, in the context of the so-called Large Scale (LS) prototype of the European research programme SMS, for which the camber control has been designed experimentally by Jodin et al (2018) The present numerical study first focuses on the investigation of the morphing effects in the clean configuration of the LS prototype, providing also a validation of the numerical results for this configuration and secondly, the investigation of the morphing effects in the case of the two-element at the take-off configuration (airfoil-gap-flap). The flow dynamics around the A320 airfoil-gap-flap is analysed in detail concerning the static and morphing cases.…”

“…Our numerical study focuses on the morphing by means of MFC (piezoactuators) near the trailing edge region at low-amplitudes with higher frequencies, applied to a two-element A320 airfoil/flap configuration having a chord of 2.40 m and a flap’s chord of 1 m at the take-off position and Reynolds number of 2.25 × 10 6 . This corresponds to a near scale 1 configuration of the A320’s flap, in the context of the so-called large scale (LS) prototype of the European research programme SMS, for which the camber control has been designed experimentally by Jodin et al (2018).…”

Design of a Morphing Skin with Shape Memory Alloy Based on Equivalent Thermal Stress Approach

“…The hybrid composite actuator could maintain a deformed state without additional current for heating by using the shape memory effects of SMP. Jodin et al [22] provided an accurate scale flap of a civil aircraft, which could carry realistic aerodynamic loading of several tons with SMA as the macro-actuators. In Leal et al's study, the SMA wires were embedded into an elastic matrix and wound through each pin in turn.…”

Multi-objective optimization of a morphing structure incorporating shape memory alloy actuators

“…In the work of Leal et al (2015) a class/shape transformation approach relying on a standard genetic algorithm was adopted to define the size of the SMA actuators used to morph the wing to two predefined airfoil shapes considering simultaneously the aerodynamic loading. More recently, Rouchon et al (2018) proposed an optimization-based approach considering various criteria for the design of a morphing high lift flap consisting of numerous components and the SMA actuators. Two different cost functions entailing the consumed power and the mass of the flap were formulated.…”