Adaptive compliant wing
Type of wing
An adaptive compliant wing is a wing which is flexible enough for aspects of its shape to be changed in flight. Flexible wings have a number of benefits. Conventional flight control mechanisms operate using hinges, resulting in disruptions to the airflow, vortices, and in some cases, separation of the airflow. These effects contribute to the drag of the aircraft, resulting in less efficiency and higher fuel costs. Flexible aerofoils can manipulate aerodynamic forces with less disruptions to the flow, resulting in less aerodynamic drag and improved fuel economy.
Shape adaptation
Changing the shape of an aerodynamic surface has a direct effect on its aerodynamic properties. According to the flow condition and to the initial shape of the part, each shape variation (curvature, incidence, twist...) can have a different impact on the resulting forces and moments.
This characteristic is actively pursued in adaptive wings which – by nature of their distributed compliance – can attain shape changes in a continuous, smooth, gap-free manner. By altering these geometrical parameters, the forces and moments can be modified, permitting to tailor them to the specific flight condition (e.g. for drag reduction) or to perform maneuvers (e.g.
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