Aerodynamic and aeroelastic characteristics of conformal control surfaces and application in active aeroelastic wing technology

This paper presents an investigation into characteristics and applications of conformal control surfaces. The attention was at first paid to the study of the aerodynamic and aeroelastic characteristics of a wing with deflected leading and trailing edges. By using thin airfoil theory and polynomial function for the camber modeling, the camber effects and aerodynamic forces derivatives was evaluated and compared. Based on the 2D wing study, the control effectiveness of 3D wing considering aeroelastic effect is evaluated. The results show that the trailing edge conformal control surfaces produce a greater roll rate but cause control reversal at a lower dynamic pressure, whereas leading edge control surfaces can provide control power at a wider dynamic pressure range. By taking these advantages, it is possible to improve roll control by incorporating the leading control surfaces. Attention is also paid to exploring the control strategies to schedule the leading and trailing edge control surfaces efficiently. The results shows that active aeroelastic wing technology enables the roll control free from the limitation of structure flexibility and hence the potential of weight saving. Moreover, conformal control surfaces could maintain the control authority in the most speed range with less deflection demands suggesting the drag reduction and energy saving. This investigation provides an insight into the active aeroelastic wing integrated with conformal leading and trailing edge control surfaces.