Preliminary Design of an Adaptive Aileron for Next Generation Regional Aircraft

“Inspiration from nature” is the key words that lies behind the morphing idea. Just as bird helped to inspire the design of the warping mechanism of the Wright Flyer, nature offers a philosophy inspiration for morphing wing design. Since aviation origin, a connection between bio-inspiration and aeronautical engineering can be found which has led through years at the current idea of a morphing wing as a mechanism capable to adapt its shape as well as the flight conditions change. Design of morphing wings at increasing TRL is common to several research programs worldwide, especially aimed at improving their associated benefits (optimize aerodynamic efficiency, fuel consumption reduction, decrease of COx and NOx emission, etc.) and overcoming classical limits (increasing system complexity, certification, reliability and so on). In this framework, the CRIAQ MD0505 project was launched; a joint research program between Canadian and Italian academies, research centers and leading industries. The target of this research cooperation is the development of combined smart structures systems on a full scale wing tip of a next generation regional aircraft. The complex device combines a modifiable airfoil thickness with a camber morphing aileron. This paper focuses on the preliminary design and the numerical modeling of the aileron architecture. The structural layout consists of a number of deformable ribs, each made of three consecutive blocks connected each other by hinges. Further cross connections between pair of elements, make the system a SDOF finger-like mechanism. The aileron is moved by servo rotary load bearing actuators which drive a kinematic chain and sustain the external aerodynamic pressure distribution. A FE model of the entire architecture was released to verify the structural integrity under prescribed operational conditions.