Design Study of Morphing Wing with MFC Actuators

A micro-aerial vehicle (MAV) has been developed to achieve high versatility through biological inspiration from bird’s wings. One way of achieving optimized flight performance during different flight regimes is by incorporating a sweeping mechanism in the vehicle. Sweeping mechanisms allow a change in the aspect ratio of the wing as well as the overall span of the wing. The main challenge involves creating the mechanism to control the outboard section of the wing for a robust sweeping authority. A tendon-actuator mechanism with an elastic spring recovery system has been developed for this cause. In addition, macro-fiber composites (MFCs) were used as the control effectors for this vehicle both as ailerons and elevator. The placement of the MFCs was optimized for the required aileron effectiveness and overall aircraft performance. The analytical models were compared with the experimental results obtained through DIC, a full-field deformation measurement technique, for the entire wing.