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Morphing Wing Flaps For Large Civil Aircraft
Morphing Wing Flaps For Large Civil Aircraft
Department of Industrial Engineering, Aerospace Division, University of Naples ‘‘Federico II”, 80125 Napoli, Italy
KEYWORDS Abstract Morphing wing structures are widely considered among the most promising technologies
Electro-mechanical actuators for the improvement of aerodynamic performances in large civil aircraft. The controlled adaptation
(EMA); of the wing shape to external operative conditions naturally enables the maximization of aircraft
Green regional aircraft; aerodynamic efficiency, with positive fallouts on the amount of fuel burned and pollutant emissions.
Mechanical systems; The benefits brought by morphing wings at aircraft level are accompanied by the criticalities of the
Morphing flap; enabling technologies, mainly involving weight penalties, overconsumption of electrical power, and
Morphing wing; safety issues. The attempt to solve such criticalities passes through the development of novel design
Smart aircraft; approaches, ensuring the consolidation of reliable structural solutions that are adequately mature
Smart structures; for certification and in-flight operations. In this work, the development phases of a multimodal
Variable camber airfoil
camber morphing wing flap, tailored for large civil aircraft applications, are outlined with specific
reference to the activities addressed by the author in the framework of the Clean Sky program.
The flap is morphed according to target shapes depending on aircraft flight conditions and defined
to enhance high-lift performances during takeoff and landing, as well as wing aerodynamic effi-
ciency during cruise. An innovative system based on finger-like robotic ribs driven by electrome-
chanical actuators is proposed as morphing-enabling technology; the maturation process of the
device is then traced from the proof of concept to the consolidation of a true-scale demonstrator
for pre-flight ground validation tests. A step-by-step approach involving the design and testing
of intermediate demonstrators is then carried out to show the compliance of the adaptive system
with industrial standards and safety requirements. The technical issues encountered during the
development of each intermediate demonstrator are critically analyzed, and justifications are pro-
vided for all the adopted engineering solutions. Finally, the layout of the true-scale demonstrator
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cja.2020.08.004
1000-9361 Ó 2020 Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
14 R. Pecora
is presented, with emphasis on the architectural strengths, enabling the forthcoming validation in
real operative conditions.
Ó 2020 Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd. This is
an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
100-seat turboprop aircraft configuration was chosen for the To enable the controlled morphing of the flap camber, a
investigation of the enabling technologies, including smart finger-like mechanism was conceived for the flap ribs. Each
morphing architectures. The wing flap was among the first rib (Fig. 13,27) was designed as a system of four plates (B0,
domains of investigation, and great efforts were made to B1, B2, B3) consecutively interconnected by hinges placed
improve flap efficiency by working on the definition of suitable along the airfoil mean line (A, B, C). Two additional links were
aerodynamic shapes, as well as on advanced deployment sys- included to further connect not adjacent rib plates, namely,
tems for optimized flap settings during takeoff and landing. plate B0 to plate B2 (link L1) and plate B1 to plate B3 (link
In the framework of these investigations, great attention L2). Thanks to these links, each rib resulted in a 1-degree-of-
was paid to the adoption of morphing structures for the active freedom mechanism; for instance, by rotating the second plate
control of flap camber during flight. It was indeed proved, by in relation to the first one, all the remaining plates rotate in
means of computational fluid dynamic analyses,3,25–28 that by relation to each other according to specific gear ratios, which
actively controlling the camber of the flap, significant aerody- are functions of the links positions. The position of the addi-
namic advantages could have been achieved in terms of wing tional link represented a design variable and was properly set
CLmax and stall angle increase, even with small deployment to ensure the compliance of the plates’ motion with the target
angles of the flap. As a consequence of this, a conventional morphed shapes to be implemented for the flap rib.
double-slotted flap could have been replaced by an equally The active degree of freedom of each rib mechanism was
(or more) efficient single-slotted flap with camber morphing controlled by a rotary electromechanical actuator which had
capabilities; in addition, the complex deployment systems typ- the two following functions: to activate the rib mechanism
ically required by a double-slotted flap could have been conve- for shape morphing and to lock the mechanism to safely with-
niently replaced by a simpler flap track, assuring a limited stand the external loads. The adoption of a mechanical ampli-
number of settings, as the hyper-lift functionality was mainly fication system for the actuation torque was considered
obtained by actively controlling the flap camber. mandatory to accomplish the above-mentioned functions
A preliminary investigation was then carried out to demon- while minimizing the size of the actuators and the electrical
strate the practical feasibility of a structural system enabling power demand. Referring to the picture shown in the top-left
flap camber morphing according to reference optimized flap corner of Fig. 1, for each rib, the actuation torque was trans-
shapes, and in compliance with industrial quality standards ferred to a gear box installed on the rib plate B0 which con-
and challenging requirements in terms of limit design loads. verted the rotation induced by the actuator shaft into the
To limit the project risks (and the budget) associated with this sliding of a cursor along the chord of the flap; thanks to a
task, the feasibility demonstration was referred to a portion of leverage system composed by two interconnected fork-
the flap delimited by two cutting planes normal to the flap shaped beams, the sliding of the cursor was used to deflect
leading edge and 0.8 m distant from each other along the flap the rib plate B2, and consequently, to control the motion of
span. The flap segment selected as investigation domain for the all the remaining plates. A careful design of the gearbox and
design and validation of the morphing architecture3 was char- leverage system3 allowed for the adoption of small stepper
acterized by the real flap chord (0.62 m) and maximum thick- motors, requiring nearly 24 W for the actuation of the flap seg-
ness (0.18 m), as well as a span of 0.8 m; thanks to the limited ment under limit design loads (70 kg).
spanwise size, the flap tapering was neglected, reducing the The actuated rib arrangement described so far was repli-
complexity of a three-dimensional aero-structural design to a cated three times along the span of the flap segment, and stiff-
bidimensional problem. ening elements (spars and stringers) were used to connect the
- Morphing mode 2: Tab-like morphing comprising nized to actuator A1, controlling the deflection of the flap tip
upwards/downwards rotation of the flap tab in the range according to the positions assumed by blocks B0, B1, and B3.
[ 10°,+10]. The tab is the segment of the flap that is still Apart from the macroscopic difference represented by the
exposed to the aerodynamic flow when the flap is stowed double actuation line, the bimodal morphing rib was charac-
(dark colored flap portion in Fig. 4). Thanks to this addi- terized by a more compact and robust layout than that con-
tional morphing mode, wing load control functionality is ceived for the proof of concept. The rib blocks were
enabled to maximize the wing aerodynamic efficiency dur- thickened along the flap span direction to properly host all
ing cruising. the amplification mechanisms and leverages required to morph
the architecture. This design choice led to significant improve-
The bimodal morphing requirement demanded a radical ments in the assembly phase of the flap device, as no interfer-
change in the finger-like rib architecture defined for the proof ence occurred between the longitudinal stiffening elements and
of concept as a single-degree mechanical system could not the components of the actuation transmission. In contrast,
allow for two independent motions of the rib. elastic deflections of the rib under external loads were dramat-
The actuation strategy developed for the proof of concept ically reduced thanks to a more rational design of link L,
was preserved to enable the overall camber morphing during which was placed closer to the rib central plane to avoid unde-
the takeoff and landing phases. The rib was always character- sired bending effects at its supports and shaped to increase the
ized by four consecutive segments (B0, B1, B2, B3) hinged along overall stiffness of the rib architecture.
the camber line at the positions marked by points A, B, and C As in the proof of concept, segmented spars and stringers
in Fig. 5.23 As in the proof of concept, blocks B0 and B2 were were adopted to realize a multi-box arrangement, elastically
further connected through a link, denoted by L in Fig. 5, which stable under bending and torsion; the multi-box architecture
made B0, B1, and B2 move as a single degree-of-freedom mech- was characterized by seven bays, each delimited by a smart
anism. The last block, B3, was connected to block B2 only, and rib (Fig. 623). The chordwise length of the first and last blocks
no further link was introduced to slave its rotation to the of each rib was reduced along the span to properly fit the
motion of the other blocks. tapered planform of the flap; the chord of the central blocks
Two rotary electromechanical actuators (A1, A2; Fig. 5) hosting all the mechanisms for rib morphing (blocks B1 and
were adopted to morph the rib; the first actuator (A1) con- B2; Fig. 5) was instead kept constant, allowing for a more effi-
trolled the motion of the first three blocks, while the second cient installation of the actuators’ transmission line.
(A2) controlled the rotation of the last block around hinge Four actuation groups were placed in the first, third, fifth,
C. The torque of each actuator was duly amplified by opti- and seventh bays of the flap; each group was composed of
mized mechanisms (M1, M2; Fig. 5) playing the same role as two actuators driving the shape morphing of the ribs delimit-
the gearboxes used in the proof of concept. According to the ing the bay. The actuator type (see Table 1) was selected based
geometrical characteristics of the constitutive components, on tradeoff studies aiming at finding the best solution in terms
the amplification factor (mechanical advantage) of each mech- of provided torque versus power demand, overall volume, and
anism reached the maximum value of 3 along the entire shape- weight.
morphing process. In morphing mode 2, the amplification Eight controllers (LTiÒ Servo One Junior29) were installed
mechanism M1 was locked and actuator A1 powered off; actu- in the first four bays of the leading edge to drive the actuators.
ator A2 was activated, and the torque amplification mechanism Encoders for relative rotation measurement were placed
M2 induced the upwards/downwards deflection of the flap tab around hinges A, B, and C (Fig. 5) of the first, fourth, and last
(i.e., block B3). During morphing mode 1, both actuators were ribs along the span; their output was used in feedback to drive
simultaneously activated; the torque of actuator A1 was used the actuators during morphing, as well as to preserve the com-
to move amplification mechanism M1, which in turn, made manded flap shape in case of undesired changes induced by
block B2 rotate in relation to hinge B; as B0, B1, and B2 com- external perturbations (including excessive elastic deforma-
prise a single degree-of-freedom mechanism (due to link L), the tions due to the aerodynamic pressure).
rotation of B2 around B implied the rotation of B1 around A All the structural components of the advanced demonstra-
according to specific gear ratios depending on the position of tor were realized in light aluminum alloy, mainly referring to
the link L, and ultimately, on the target morphed shapes to high precision numerical control machining processes. Both
be realized. To realize those shapes, actuator A2 was synchro- ribs and longitudinal stiffening components were properly
shaped to enable the installation of a segmented skin solution
characterized (on both the upper and lower sides) by four large
panels sliding on each other like armadillo shells (Fig. 7(a)23).
Silicon rubber seals23 were introduced to prevent airflow leak-
ages in flight and reduce the friction between adjacent skin
panels. Advanced multi-body simulations of the flap morphing
kinematic were launched to properly define the shape of the
seals, as well as to check for the absence of clashes between
adjacent subcomponents in relative motion.
The adoption of a segmented skin solution was influenced
by the experiences gained in two relevant research projects run-
ning in parallel with Clean Sky—the CRIAQ-MDO50530–33
and SARISTU.19,23 In these projects, the same design team
involved in the advanced demonstration of the morphing flap
Fig. 5 Bimodal morphing rib mechanisms.23 was responsible for the structural design and validation of two
18 R. Pecora
innovative morphing devices tailored for large civil aircraft trast, from the manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance
application—a morphing camber aileron34–38 (CRIAQ- standpoints, the segmented skin solution resulted in more con-
MDO505) and an adaptive wing trailing edge39–43 (SAR- venience due to its greater simplicity, strength against debris
ISTU). While, for the morphing aileron, a segmented skin impacts, and ease of repair in case of damage. Therefore, look-
solution was considered, the morphing trailing edge was ing at the implications for aircraft operations, the segmented
equipped with a compliant skin architecture made of stretch- skin solution was preferable, while the compliant skin solution
able panels. In more detail, the change of shape induced by represented the optimal candidate to enhance the aerodynamic
morphing was accommodated by the sliding of adjacent skin performance of the overall architecture. Thanks to the exten-
panels for the aileron and by the elastic deformation (exten- sive wind tunnel campaigns carried out during both projects,
sion/compression) of the upper and lower skin panels for the it was possible to collect a wide set of results and make some
wing trailing edge. The deformation of the skin panels was extrapolations to the morphing flap to properly select which
enabled by a smart multi-material system made of stiff metallic skin arrangement would be more suitable.
shells joined to soft foam strips in an accordion-like arrange- Due to the high incidence angles at which the flap had to
ment; the metallic shells were incorporated to assure adequate work, it was observed that the presence of small gaps along
bending and shear stiffness to withstand aerodynamic pres- the upper/lower skin would not significantly alter the aerody-
sure, while the foam strips accommodated the relevant defor- namic performances of the device; in more detail, the maxi-
mations induced by the cambering of the trailing edge.44,45 A mum high-lift coefficient of the wing with continuous flap
layer made of hyper-elastic silicon-based polymer was glued skin was estimated to be only 0.2% higher than that obtained
onto the metallic shells and foam strips to ensure adequate in the case of segmented skin. This figure was judged as an
protection from environmental factors. acceptable performance loss, fully compensated for by the
Each skin arrangement had advantages and disadvantages. large operative advantages associated with the segmented skin
The compliant skin solution ensured clean and smooth aerody- solution. In addition, power consumption issues were duly
namic surfaces, while the adoption of skin segments led to taken into account, and they played a decisive role in the
small steps and discontinuities with degradation of aerody- choice of the segmented skin as the optimal cover solution
namic performances due to premature flow separation. In con- for the flap architecture: Nearly 35% of the available actuation
Morphing wing flaps for large civil aircraft 19
4. Functionality test of the advanced technological demonstrator installed on an exhibition support and secured to an external
safety rig (Fig. 8 (a)); the test protocols outlined in Table 3
were followed.46
Functionality tests were carried out to demonstrate that the
Test protocols 1 and 2 were repeated 20 times, and at each
flap could reproduce target morphed shapes in a controlled
cycle (Fig. 8 (b)), the measured angles were fully compliant
and repeatable manner. The target morphed shapes were con-
with the design targets at both the inner and outer flap sections
sidered successfully fitted if the angles between adjacent rib
(Fig. 9). Moreover, the recordings related to the encoders at
blocks—obtained upon actuator activation—matched the
the flap root and tip sections (Fig. 9) matched perfectly, prov-
design values pertinent to each morphing mode (Table 2) with
ing the successful implementation of morphing mechanics
a precision of 0.5°. The first and the last ribs of the flap were
along the flap span (absence of undesired morphing-induced
equipped with additional high precision encoders measuring
twist or shape alteration along the span).
the relative rotations between blocks B0 and B1 and blocks
B2 and B3; it was considered irrelevant to place an additional
5. Static test of the advanced technological demonstrator
encoder between B1 and B2, since B0, B1, and B2 had a single
degree-of-freedom as a result of the cross-link L (Fig. 5).
The encoders were equipped with digital displays for real- The static test was carried out to demonstrate the flap’s capa-
time reading of the measured rotations. The flap was then bility of withstanding limit loads expected in service without
20 R. Pecora
Fig. 8 Functionality test of morphing flap: test article and morphing activation sequence.
permanent deformations, failures or buckling. Due to the rel- s, were considered adequate to avoid any dynamic amplifica-
evance of the total load to be applied (1.5 tons26,46), numerical tion. A pause of 10 s at the achievement of each load step
analyses were preliminarily carried out to virtually simulate the was set to check the acquired data; load levels were measured
test; analysis outcomes were used to accomplish the following: through a load cell installed between the hydraulic jack and the
whiffle tree (Fig. 10(a)).
- Safely address the experimental campaign, being prepared No failures occurred during the tests. The applied load
to detect (potentially dangerous) deviations between the value and MDS/MSS recorded data are plotted against time
actual and the expected structural behavior of the device; in Fig. 10(b). The maximum recorded deformation and dis-
- Properly individuate the most stressed regions of the proto- placement were in good agreement with numerical expecta-
type for a rational installation of the deformation sensors; and tions, and the full recovery of elastic deformations/
- Verify the adequacy of the test rig and whiffle tree used to deflections occurred once the test article was unloaded.
apply the loads. By using the potentiometers embedded in each of the con-
trollers installed in the lead edge, it was possible to measure
Relying on the result of the pre-test analyses, the sensor the power absorption of each actuator during the loading
expected to record the maximum strain (maximum strain sen- phase. At the limit load condition, the overall power adsorbed
sor, MSS) was located on the mechanical link (marked with by the actuation system was equal to 350 W, with the greatest
L in Fig. 5) between blocks B0 and B2 of the second rib. To amount consumed by the first actuator located in the third bay
demonstrate the recovery of the full elastic deflection, Linear (16%, Fig. 11). This occurrence was perfectly in line with the
Variable Differential Transducers (LVDT) were installed to point that, under limit load conditions, the torque induced
measure the displacement at the flap tip. The sensor expected by the whiffle three reached a peak corresponding to at the
to record the maximum deflection (maximum deflection sensor, third rib, demanding more effort from the actuators located
MDS) was that located at the tip of the second rib. In Fig. 10 in the third bay. The overall power consumption of 350 W
(a), the test setup is outlined with indications on the MSS and was well below the saturation value of the entire actuation sys-
MDS positions, the main elements of the load transmission tem (650 W = 8 81.25, see Table 1); this practically demon-
system, and the clamping plates adopted to constrain the flap strated the goodness and robustness of the implemented design
in correspondence of the joints to the deployment tracks. as a relevant amount of actuation torque could still be deliv-
As a final stage, the test protocol of Table 4 was imple- ered to control the flap shape under limit design load
mented. Load steps of 100 kg, with a loading speed of 10 kg/ conditions.
Morphing wing flaps for large civil aircraft 21
Fig. 9 Functionality test of the morphing flap: measured rotations at flap root/tip encoders (first 10 cycles, morphing modes 1 and 2).
6. Toward the full technological demonstration of a multi-modal First, the entire outer flap segment of the reference wing
camber morphing flap should have been addressed to properly face design, produc-
tion, and testing issues at the integral component level. Second,
The advanced demonstration represented a relevant milestone important changes to the already consolidated architecture
in the maturation process of the addressed technology; the should have been made to increase the industrial interest on
promising results of the experimental campaigns, in combina- the smart system; ways for improvements were essentially
tion with the increasing appeal of the proposed architecture for found in the exploration of the following topics:
an effective installation on large aircraft, paved the way to fur-
ther research activities oriented to a more comprehensive - Reduction of installed power thanks to the adoption of a
assessment of the morphing flap from the perspective of in- lower number of actuators;
flight tests and operations. The assessment was thought neces- - Minimization of spare parts and simplification of the
sary to overcome the limitations of the advanced demonstra- assembly process;
tion while further improving the architecture of the device in - Overall weight reduction; and
the direction of a ready-to-fly industrial product. - Minimization of the operational risks in case of actuation
system failures.
22 R. Pecora
Fig. 11 Static (limit) deflection of the morphing flap and absorbed power trend.
Morphing wing flaps for large civil aircraft 23
around A2 and makes B4 rotate around hinge C, implementing during the kinematic evolution of the inner mechanisms. The
the tab-like morphing. During morphing mode 1,48,49 the sec- input actuation torque at the crank was used to start the
ondary leverage is fixed since only shaft A1 is activated. In con- motion of the chain of links; the last link of the chain was con-
trast, shaft A1 is locked during morphing mode 2.48,49 nected to the rib block to be rotated (B3 for mechanism M1, B4
Leverages M1 and M2 were optimized to increase the for mechanism M2) and generated the output torque, enabling
mechanical advantage provided by the inner mechanisms of the rotation of the rib block about its hinge axis. The mechan-
the advanced demonstrator rib. The optimization process con- ical advantage (output torque/input torque) ultimately
sisted of parametric kinematic analyses defining the leverage depended on links relative rotation centers,48 and their posi-
components’ number, shape, and position as functions of the tions were properly tailored to ensure high actuation authority.
mechanical advantage to be implemented by the overall mech- In Fig. 14, the rotation of the actuated rib blocks (hB3, hB4) and
anism.48 At the end of the process, the most convenient layout the mechanical advantage of mechanisms M1/M2 are plotted
for each leverage was characterized by six components, com- as functions of the crank rotations. For mechanism M1, the
prising a crank, two ternary links, and three binary links, minimum mechanical advantage was equal to 6; as hB3 became
arranged as reported in Fig. 13. All the items were connected greater than 13°, the mechanical advantages rapidly increased
by cylindrical hinges; the crank and ternary links were doubly in line with the demand for higher torque to properly counter-
supported on rib-block plates to avoid out-of-plane rotations act the external aerodynamic loads generated by the aug-
24 R. Pecora
mented camber of the flap. Similarly, for mechanism M2, the The segmentation of the rear transmission line in three dif-
mechanical advantage was equal to its minimum value (nearly ferent portions, covering bays 1 and 2, bays 4 and 5, and bays 7
5) when the flap tab (rib block B4) was in neutral position; as and 8, allowed for an equivalent segmentation of the flap trail-
the tab was deflected upwards ( 10°hB4 < 0°) or downwards ing edge into three different tabs with independent actuation
(0°<hB4 10°), the mechanical advantage rapidly increased, In case of synchronous actuation of the tabs, morphing mode
providing adequate actuation authority against the aerody- 2 would have been implemented; by properly distributing the
namic loads induced by tab rotation. actuator rotation along the three transmission lines, it was pos-
A multi-box arrangement was considered to transfer the sible to achieve a third morphing mode characterized by differ-
morphing capabilities of the ribs to the overall flap structure. ential deflections of the tabs, in this way, implementing new
Each box was characterized by a single-cell configuration shapes for the flap trailing edge for enhanced load control
delimited by homologous blocks of consecutive ribs along functionalities in cruise. This additional functionality marked
the span and by spars along the chord. Thanks to the greater the transition from a bimodal camber morphing flap to a more
morphing authority of the ribs, their pitch was set equal to sophisticated architecture with multimodal morphing capabil-
580 mm (Fig. 15), leading to two ribs less than those that ities. To minimize the operational risk of the conceived layout,
would have been required if the pitch of the advanced demon- careful attention was paid to the behavior of the actuation sys-
strator had been used. In addition, the spars were set to be con- tem in the case of in-flight power shutdown. As for the
tinuous along the span of the flap and no longer segmented by advanced demonstrator, for the improved flap architecture,
the ribs, as happened for the advanced demonstrator; this led the torque provided by the actuators was also necessary to
to a more robust structural arrangement in bending as well as keep the flap structure in equilibrium under the action of exter-
to a reduced number of spare parts. nal loads. In the case of power shutdown, no relevant torque
A through-shaft solution was selected to enable the actua- would have been delivered by the actuators, and the entire
tion of three rib blocks with a single motor (R1, R2; Fig. 16). structure would have collapsed well below the design limit
The segmentation of the shaft along the span was obtained load.
through elastic joints, ensuring the correct torque transmission To solve this important safety issue, permanent magnetic
in the presence of high bending-induced deformations. Har- brakes of the PMBÒ series 10050 were mounted on the shaft
monic DriveÒ (HD) gear reducers (in green in Fig. 16) were of each actuator. The working principle of the brakes is
installed to amplify the torque supplied by the motors. The drafted in Fig. 17.
HD model CPL-17-2A48 was selected based on its overall vol- With current off to the electric coil, the permanent magnet
ume and performance. provided ongoing magnetic flux to engage the armature plate
When the brushless motor is on, the main shaft transfers with the brake’s inner and outer friction faces. The load
the rotational speed to the HD gearbox installed on each attached to the hub armature plate was held without power
rib-block plate. Following the action of the HD, the rotational consumption. When the current was applied to the coil, the
speed of the shaft is reduced, and the torque is amplified to permanent magnet flux path was counteracted, reducing the
nearly 200 times the nominal value. magnetic force at the friction face contact points to zero. This
The crank of each leverage (M1 and M2 in Fig. 12) is allowed the diaphragm spring to pull the armature plate away
directly connected to the low-speed (high-torque) shaft that from the magnet case, such that the load could rotate freely
comes out of the HD device. The kinematic chains of each only while the power was applied to the coil.50
rib are then activated, and the full morphing system changes The adoption of such devices implied a significant change in
its shape. the operations of the flap; the need for electrical current was
Thanks to the rational sizing of the transmission lines, only indeed limited only to the flight phases in which morphing
six motors were required to morph the full-scale prototype modes had to be activated. Whereas no morphing had to be
(Fig. 15); even if larger than the advanced demonstrator, the implemented, the brakes in power off mode were used to main-
prototype required fewer actuators, which were in turn charac- tain the flap shape, counteracting the external loads without
terized by reduced dimensions and weight (Table 5). the support of extra torque coming from the actuation system.
Fig. 14 M1 and M2: Mechanical advantages versus crank rotation (Airgreen2 improved layout48).
Morphing wing flaps for large civil aircraft 25
nents, integrating smart materials like shape memory alloys or up to the consolidation of a full-scale prototype for final func-
polymers. The adoption of controlled deformation (compliant) tionality tests in real operative conditions.
structures was deemed inadequate for the specific end applica- Starting from highly mature technological solutions, effec-
tion. To modify the flap shape, cyclic deformations of the tive from the functionality and robustness standpoints, new
structure would have been necessary under the action of the research lines are envisaged to further enhance the morphing
significant aerodynamic loads typical of a CS-25 category air- flap with reference to the broader spectrum of requirements
craft; a short fatigue life of the morphing flap was then posed by a cost-effective and sustainable integration at the air-
expected, with prohibitive impacts on reference aircraft opera- craft level. Therefore, a rational re-engineering of the flap’s
tions and maintenance plans. Smart materials with super- constitutive elements is expected to be addressed to bridge
elastic properties, although considered very efficient for over- the gap between a reliable integrated smart system and an
coming fatigue issues, would have dwarfed the maturity of affordable, cost-competitive aeronautical component. Along
the overall system and its readiness for certification due to this process, advanced research lines will be activated and
the lack of industrial production standards and consequent mainly oriented to the following:
uncertainties on design allowables. Conversely, the mechanical
solution based on metallic robotic ribs driving the shape adap- Reducing the weight of the system by switching to hybrid
tation of the flap proved highly promising in light of the small solutions prevalently based on advanced/recyclable com-
impacts on consolidated industrial manufacturing processes, posite materials;
aircraft operations, and compliance with airworthiness Reducing the mechanical complexity of the system by
requirements. Similar considerations applied to the flap skin decreasing the number of constitutive parts; along this
arrangement, where light metallic alloys and a modular seg- direction, the convenience of additive manufacturing to
mented layout, replicating the multi-block segmentation of replace entire sub-assemblies with integral components that
the finger-like ribs, were preferred to a compliant solution are geometrically challenging for conventional manufactur-
accommodating morphing-induced displacements through ing processes like forging and milling will be explored;
the deformation of super-elastic elements. Practically, the Simplifying the device manufacturing and assembly
finger-like rib concept led to the definition of a multi-box through the adoption of rational design solutions for fast
structural arrangement where each box was covered by a skin series production (increase of components commonality,
segment. Flap shape adaptivity was basically implemented by simplifications of joining mechanisms and sequence);
replacing the conventional mono-cell structure with a complex Reducing the effects of the device on aircraft maintenance
mechanism characterized by active degrees of freedom; under and repair procedures by facilitating the visual inspection
these circumstances, the actuation system becomes a crucial of the inner components and embedded electromechanical
component of the adaptive structure, working to suppress systems; and
and control the active degrees of freedom. Therefore, an inte- Reducing the effects of the device on aircraft maintenance
grated design process was followed to define actuators, actua- and repair procedures via the integration of a smart health
tion transmission lines, and components of the adaptive monitoring system checking for the integrity of the struc-
structure, thus properly accounting for their mutual influence. tural components and operativity of all installed equipment
Starting from the conceptual definition of the overall morph- related to actuation, shape sensing, and shape control.
ing system, the design process was rationally supported by
experimental validation; at each design stage, technology Declaration of Competing Interest
demonstrators were manufactured and tested to down select
the most promising arrangements to be further refined in the The authors declare that they have no known competing
next design phase. In this way, the morphing flap technology financial interests or personal relationships that could have
experienced a gradual and well-sustained maturation process appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Morphing wing flaps for large civil aircraft 27
35. Amendola G, Magnifico M, Pecora R, et al. Distributed actuation 43. Pecora R, Magnifico M, Amoroso F, et al. Multi-parametric
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