Simulation and Test of Discrete Mobile Surfaces for a RC-Aircraft

Abstract

Morphing structures suitable for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been investigated for several years. This paper presents a novel lightweight, morphing concept based on the exploitation of the “lever effect” of a bistable composite plate that can be integrated in an UAV horizontal tail. Flight dynamics equations are solved in Simulink environment, thus being able to simulate and compare different flight conditions with conventional and bistable command surfaces. Subsequently, bistable plates are built by using composite materials, paying particular attention to dimensions, asymmetric stacking sequence and total thickness needed to achieve bistability. NACA0011 airfoil is chosen for proving this concept. Wind tunnel tests demonstrate that the discrete surface is capable of withstanding the aerodynamic pressure. A remotely piloted vehicle is employed to test the discrete horizontal tail command during the take-off. The results show that, choosing a proper configuration of constraints, stacking sequence and aspect ratio for the bistable laminate, it is possible to tailor the snap-through mechanism. The proposed concept appears lighter and increases aerodynamic efficiency when compared to conventional UAV command surfaces.

Time-dependent shape of bistable unsymmetric carbon fibers-epoxy thin laminates

“…The specimens were heated up to 110 The same heating cycle was used also for the manufacturing of the bistable rectangular laminates. In this case two identical batches of 80 mm × 160 mm, with unsymmetric stacking sequence of [0 • /90 • ] (see figure 3(a)) were manufactured [32,33]. The cooling stage adopted for the fabrication of bistable laminates differed from the one reported in figure 2.…”

A Preliminary Evaluation of Morphing Horizontal Tail Design for UAVs

“…From the point of view of flight dynamics, there is a substantial difference whether the geometry variation due to morphing aims to achieve maximum performance in the various flight phases or to replace the traditional surfaces for controlling the aircraft. Numerous dynamic approaches with different levels of complexity and computational efficiency can be found in the literature [18]. The choice of the most suitable model is made while considering many variables.…”