Effectiveness of Wing Morphing Techniques for Maneuverability: A Direct Comparison Method

Morphing structures are common in aircraft design and typically improve the maneuverability, control, or efficiency of aircraft. However, it remains unclear which morphing modes (span, twist, camber, etc.) provide the largest benefit to maneuverability. A panel-method aerodynamic analysis tool is used to develop a variety of different morphing configurations for comparison and analysis. The panel method used is validated for use in morphing studies through wind tunnel experiments. Metrics are developed to describe the relevant aerodynamic effects of morphing in a method similar to the derivation of stability derivatives commonly used in aircraft stability and control. These derivatives are used to define the effectiveness and sensitivity of maneuverability-relevant coefficients (lift, pitch, roll) to morphing behaviors. A novel comparison method, using the maximum linear displacement of the morphing mode, is developed as the first known metric for directly comparing different morphing types. Using this comparison, it is shown that morphing methods that change the airfoil cross section (camber and ailerons) are the most effective methods at altering lift and roll coefficients, thus improving maneuverability. Results from the analysis are shown to align with historic examples of morphing aircraft, with a discussion on the engineering constraints driving less effective morphing choices.