Abstract
Birds, bats and insects inspired the design of sweeping wing aircraft. Their ability to sweep and fold their wings to sharper angles increases maneuverability and assists in navigating air currents. Aerospace engineers developed the sweeping wing by installing mechanical pivots between wing sections, such as on the F-111, F-14, and MiG-23 fighter aircraft. However, their wing structures require additional heavy components, which decreases reliability, payload capacity and aircraft performance. This conceptual work replaces mechanical parts with lighter, bio-inspired flexible hinges and compliant structures, allowing wing-sweeping up to 60°. The primary objective of this study is to have the skin of an un-swept wing fold at multiple locations into a swept wing with fences, reducing spanwise flow. Mathematical models of a flat wing were developed to create multi-segment rectangular and tapered sweeping wings. Several configurations with three wing segments and segment sweep angles were evaluated. 3D CAD models were developed and 3D printed with flexible, compliant hinges and rigid components. These prototype hinges and sweeping mechanisms held their un-swept and swept shapes in proper configurations without tearing or failure and demonstrated viability. The current work is only for a flat wing. However, future work could expand to a traditional wing cross-section using flexible composites.
