Unsteady parametrization of a morphing wing design for improved aerodynamic performance

Abdessemed, Chawki; Yao, Yufeng; Narayan, Pritesh; Bouferrouk, Abdessalem

Abstract

A morphing wing is a bio-inspired concept where all moving parts e.g. slats/flaps are replaced with a deformable body. This paper describes a methodology that uses modified parametrization methods to define a morphing geometry, and applies user-defined function (UDF) to generate dynamic meshing around it for unsteady flow analysis. To verify mesh quality during deformation, steady CFD results of a deformed mesh at a
‘frozen’ time-step were compared to those from a regenerated
mesh over a range of angles of attack. It was found that results from a deformed and re-generated mesh are in good agreement, confirming the validity of dynamic meshing. Furthermore, a comparison study between a morphed and flapped airfoil was performed, where it was observed that the morphed airfoil produced higher lift/drag ratio than the flapped one. Finally, an unsteady CFD analysis was conducted using the
developed UDF as a proof of concept study for further
research.

Citation

Abdessemed, C., Yao, Y., Narayan, P., & Bouferrouk, A. (2017, March). Unsteady parametrization of a morphing wing design for improved aerodynamic performance. Paper presented at 52nd 3AF International Conference on Applied Aerodynamics

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: 52nd 3AF International Conference on Applied Aerodynamics
• Start Date: Mar 27, 2017
• End Date: Mar 29, 2017
• Acceptance Date: Dec 14, 2016
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: unsteady, parametrization, morphing, wing, design, improved, aerodynamic, performance
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : 52nd 3AF International Conference on Applied Aerodynamics