• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.58-63
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• 2012

In general, a conventional flap on an aircraft wing can reduce the aerodynamic efficiency due to geometric discontinuity. On the other hand, the aerodynamic performance can be improved by using a shape-morphing wing instead of a separate flap. In this research, a new flap morphing mechanism that can change the wing shape smoothly was devised to prevent aerodynamic losses. Moreover, a prototype wing was fabricated to demonstrate the morphing mechanism. A shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuator was used for the morphing wing. The specific current range was measured to control the SMA actuator. The deflection angles at the trailing edge were also measured while various currents were applied to the SMA actuator. The trailing edge of the wing changed smoothly when the current was applied. Moreover, the deflection angle also increased as the current increased. The maximum frequency level was around 0.1 Hz. The aerodynamic performance of the deformed airfoil by the SMA wire was analyzed by using the commercial program GAMBIT and FLUENT. The results were compared with the results of an undeformed wing. It was demonstrated that the morphing mechanism changes the wing shape smoothly without the extension of the wing skin.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2009

Wing-in-Ground vehicles and aerodynamically assisted boats take advantage of increased lift and reduced drag of wing sections in the ground proximity. At relatively low speeds or heavy payloads of these craft, a flap at the wing trailing-edge can be applied to boost the aerodynamic lift. The influence of a flap on the two-dimensional NACA 4412 airfoil in viscous ground-effect flow is numerically investigated in this study. The computational method consists of a steady-state, incompressible, finite volume method utilizing the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model. Grid generation and solution of the Navier-Stokes equations are completed using computer program Fluent. The code is validated against published experimental and numerical results of unbounded flow with a flap, as well as ground-effect motion without a flap. Aerodynamic forces are calculated, and the effects of angle of attack, Reynolds number, ground height, and flap deflection are presented for a split and plain flap. Changes in the flow introduced with the flap addition are also discussed. Overall, the use of a flap on wings with small attack angles is found to be beneficial for small flap deflections up to 5% of the chord, where the contribution of lift augmentation exceeds the drag increase, yielding an augmented lift-to-drag ratio.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.293-301
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• 2020

Blades of tidal stream turbines have to sustain many different loads during operation in the underwater environment, so securing their structural safety is a key issue. In this study, we focused on periodic loads due to wave orbital motion and propose a load reduction method with a blade design. The flap of an airplane wing is a well-known structure designed to increase lift, and it can also change the load distribution on the wing through deflection. For this reason, we adopted a passive flap structure for the load reduction and investigated its effectiveness by an analytical method based on the blade element moment theory. Flap torsional stiffness required for the design of the passive flap can be obtained by calculating the flap moment based on the analytic method. Comparison between a flapped and a fixed blade showed the effect of the flap on load reduction in a high amplitude wave condition.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.503-514
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• 2017

The attitude control of an aircraft is usually fulfilled by means of thrusters at high altitudes. Therefore, the possibility of using also aerodynamic surfaces would produce the advantage of reducing the amount of fuel for the thrusters to be loaded on board. For this purpose, Zuppardi already considered some aerodynamic problems linked to the use of a wing flap in a previous paper. A NACA 0010 airfoil with a trailing edge flap of 35% of the chord, in the range of angle of attack 0-40 deg and flap deflections up to 30 deg was investigated. Computer tests were carried out in hypersonic, rarefied flow by a direct simulation Monte Carlo code at the altitudes of 65 and 85 km of Earth Atmosphere. The present work continues this subject, considering the same airfoil and free stream conditions but two flap extensions of 45% and 25% of the chord and two flap deflections of 15 and 30 deg. The main purpose is to compare the influence of the flap dimension with that of the flap deflection. The present analysis is carried out in terms of: 1) percentage variation of the global aerodynamic coefficients with respect to the no-flap configuration, 2) increment of pressure and heat flux on the airfoil lower surface due to the Shock Wave-Shock Wave Interaction (SWSWI) with respect to the same quantities with no SWSWI or in no-flap configuration, 3) flap hinge moment. Issues 2) and 3) are important for the design of the mechanical and thermal protection system and of the flap actuator, respectively. Under the above mentioned test and geometrical conditions, the flap deflection is aerodynamically more effective than the flap extension, because it involves higher variation of the aerodynamic coefficients. However, tests verify that a smaller deflection angle involves the advantage of a smaller increment of pressure and heat flux on the airfoil lower surface, due to SWSWI, as well as a smaller hinge moment.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.909-914
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• 2003

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.560-572
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• 2004

Aeroelastic response and control of airfoil-flap system exposed to sonic-boom, blast and gust loads in an incompressible subsonic flowfield are addressed. Analytical analysis and pertinent numerical simulations of the aeroelastic response of 3-DOF airfoil featuring plunging-pitching-flapping coupled motion subjected to gust and explosive pressures in terms of important characteristic parameters specifying configuration envelope are presented. The comparisons of uncontrolled aeroelastic response with controlled one of the wing obtained by feedback control methodology are supplied, which is implemented through the flap torque to suppress the flutter instability and enhance the subcritical aeroelastic response to time-dependent excitations.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.800-808
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• 2004

Wind tunnel test of an airplane model with forward swept wing was done in KARI LSWT to evaluate and measure the aerodynamic characteristics of initially designed configuration. Since the given wing planform did not fully satisfy the design requirements, local flow control devices such as vortilon, vortex generator and flow fence were used to delay separation and to enhance aerodynamic characteristics. Also decision making processes of design parameters such as vertical tail boom length, the location, size and the incidence angle of horizontal tail were discussed. The general aerodynamic characteristics of forward swept wing for various control surface deflection conditions of flap, aileron and elevator were also given.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.11-16
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• 2016

In this paper, an experimental study on the aerodynamic characteristics of a variable span wing flying inside a channel guideway is accomplished using wind tunnel testing. A variable span wing with a NACA 0012 airfoil section was fabricated and actuated using a linear servo motor. The aerodynamic effects of 1) wing aspect ratio, 2) ground effect, and 3) the gap between the wingtip and the wing fence were investigated. It was found that both ground effect and wing fence gap increased lift. Also, the wing fence gap does not significantly affect drag. Therefore, it was found that a variable span mechanism can be used as an effective high lift device when flap use is limited.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.40 no.10
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• pp.846-852
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• 2012

The present paper is the preliminary study of the development of a morphing aircraft wing and investigates experimently the aerodynamic characteristics of a base airfoil and a morphing airfoil. The wind tunnel tests are conducted for a base Clark-Y airfoil, an airfoil with a mechanical flap, and a morphing airfoil. Lifts, drags, and pitching moments are measured by using a three-axis load cell and they are calibrated by considering solid blockage and wake blockage. The wind tunnel tests are conducted for various air speeds, Reynolds' numbers, and angles of attack. The experimental results show that the aerodynamic characteristics of the morphing airfoil in lift-drag and lift-pitching moment are better than those of the airfoil with a mechanical flap.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.210-220
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• 2012

The model-free control of aeroelastic vibrations of a non-linear 2-D wing-flap system operating in supersonic flight speed regimes is discussed in this paper. A novel continuous robust controller design yields asymptotically stable vibration suppression in both the pitching and plunging degrees of freedom using the flap deflection as a control input. The controller also ensures that all system states remain bounded at all times during closed-loop operation. A Lyapunov method is used to obtain the global asymptotic stability result. The unsteady aerodynamic load is considered by resourcing to the non-linear Piston Theory Aerodynamics (PTA) modified to account for the effect of the flap deflection. Simulation results demonstrate the performance of the robust control strategy in suppressing dynamic aeroelastic instabilities, such as non-linear flutter and limit cycle oscillations.