Morphing of inflatable wings

Andrew Simpson, Nathan Coulombe, Jamey Jacob, Suzanne Smith

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

The paper presents work on developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with morphing inflatable wings. Inflatable wing stiffness varies with internal pressure, which is required for operation. The possibility exists to manipulate the wings through mechanical mechanisms to alter their performance and control the UAV. The overall research focuses on characterizing the deformation of the wings and developing a model to accurately predict this deformation. This paper discusses predicting and correlating the forces required to deform the wings to a particular shape, the deformation generated and the aerodynamic forces generated by that shape change. Roll control of the UAV will rely on the shape change of the wing. Hence, the paper examines work done on developing a model of the inflatable wings.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3832-3842
Number of pages11
JournalCollection of Technical Papers - AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference
Volume6
StatePublished - 2005
Event46th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference - Austin, TX, United States
Duration: Apr 18 2005Apr 21 2005

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Architecture
  • General Materials Science
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering

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