Cortez Spencer Troy P, Winyangkul Seksan, Sleesongsom Suwin
Department of Aeronautical Engineering, International Academy of Aviation Industry, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand.
Department of Logistic Engineering and Management, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, Chiangrai 57100, Thailand.
Biomimetics (Basel). 2025 Jun 1;10(6):353. doi: 10.3390/biomimetics10060353.
The variable camber wing (VCW) is a morphing wing design anticipated to enhance unmanned aerial vehicles' (UAVs') performance in flight through continuously changing shape. The performance of VCWs has been proven, but techniques for their integration, including aerodynamic analysis, mechanism synthesis, and structural tests, still lag in development at the conceptual design stage. Therefore, this research focuses on designing a variable camber wing, a key area for the advancement of morphing aircraft. Inspired by the high-lift capabilities of traditional aircraft devices but aiming for smoother airflow through continuous shape alteration, this research proposes a novel three-step design for a structurally integrated VCW. This approach begins with a critical aerodynamic analysis to determine wing shape adaptations across various flight conditions, followed by a mechanism synthesis phase to design a four-bar linkage that accurately approximates the desired trailing edge deflections by utilizing a variant of teaching-learning-based optimization. The objective is to minimize error between the intended and actual coupler link while adhering to design constraints for proper integration in the wing structure. Finally, structural analysis evaluates the skin's ability to withstand operational loads and ensure the integrity of the VCW system. The design result demonstrates the success of this three-step approach to synthesizing a VCW mechanism that meets the defined aerodynamic (actual deflection of 9.1764°) and structural targets (maximum Von Mises stress of 81.5 MPa and maximum deflection of 0.073 m), paving the way for enhanced aircraft performance.
可变弯度机翼（VCW）是一种变形机翼设计，预计通过不断改变形状来提高无人机（UAV）的飞行性能。VCW的性能已得到验证，但其集成技术，包括空气动力学分析、机构综合和结构测试，在概念设计阶段的发展仍较为滞后。因此，本研究聚焦于设计可变弯度机翼，这是变形飞机发展的关键领域。受传统飞机装置高升力能力的启发，但旨在通过连续形状改变实现更平稳的气流，本研究提出了一种用于结构集成VCW的新颖三步设计方法。该方法首先进行关键的空气动力学分析，以确定在各种飞行条件下机翼形状的适应性，随后是机构综合阶段，通过基于教与学优化的变体设计一个四杆机构，该机构能精确逼近所需的后缘挠度，目标是在遵循机翼结构适当集成的设计约束条件下，使预期连杆与实际连杆之间的误差最小化。最后，结构分析评估蒙皮承受运行载荷的能力，并确保VCW系统的完整性。设计结果表明，这种合成VCW机构的三步方法成功实现了满足规定的空气动力学目标（实际挠度为9.1764°）和结构目标（最大冯·米塞斯应力为81.5 MPa，最大挠度为0.073 m），为提高飞机性能铺平了道路。
