This work presents the design, optimization, manufacturing, and experimental characterization of a swept, camber-morphing, flying wing. By virtue of a novel actuation concept, combined with a compliant structural concept, camber deflections of sufficient amplitude to achieve controllability in roll and pitch are attained. The optimization, which accounts for aeroelastic interactions in the assessment of the wing behaviour, concurrently optimizes the variables describing the aerodynamic shape, the inner structure, and the actuation strategy. The aerodynamic shape is optimized for a longitudinally stable flying wing, which solely relies on morphing deflections to control its attitude. The morphing deflection can be varied along the span, enabling to attain optimized deformed shapes for any flight condition. To validate the concept and assess its structural characteristics and actuation capabilities, an experimental demonstrator was fabricated. The wing has a total span of 3.2m and a maximum chord length of 23cm. Its structural integrity was assessed through a wing up-bending test, permitting to both characterize its load-carrying capacity and validate the structural model. The actuation capability was assessed by measuring the deformed shapes through a digital image correlation system, enabling to successfully confirm the predictions obtained through a detailed FE model.

This paper presents the design, optimization, realization and testing of a novel wing morphing concept based on compliant structures actuated by Macro Fiber Composites. The geometry of the compliant morphing ribs is determined through multidisciplinary optimizations. The static and dynamic behavior of the wing, and the effect of activating the actuators, is assessed using 3-D aeroelastic simulations. The performance and manufacturability of a wing designed according to this approach are investigated. The achieved active deformations produce sufficient roll control authority to replace conventional ailerons. The numerical simulation for the conformal shape adaptation of the wing is compared to experimental results, showing good agreement. The aerodynamic and structural behavior of the introduced concept is investigated through a validated finite element model, revealing the potential of the presented morphing wing. A closed-loop controller driving high-voltage electronics counteracts the nonlinearity and hysteresis of the piezoelectric actuators, allowing for controlling the wings’ morphing level.