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Towards Morphing Wing Technology in Aircraft for Improved Flight Performance

Conventional wing structures have no adaptation to changing flight conditions – they are optimized for specific flight conditions. An aerodynamically efficient configuration in one flight condition may be inefficient in another. As such, this work explores the architecture of a morphing wing and assesses the possibility of achieving a functional deformable wing by determining suitable sensors, actuators and controllers for implementation. The morphing wing technology adopts a closed-loop control whereby real-time sensing and monitoring of the wing shape is used to determine if the deformed shape is optimum under the flight condition. For this to be achievable, different sensors and their potential for use in the determination of pressure distribution are explored. Optical sensors were found to be the most reliable. To enable control of the morphing wing during flight, actuators were investigated. Piezoelectric actuators were found to be the most suitable for an adaptive and flexible wing structure due to their weight, precision and speed. In terms of controllers, fuzzy controllers were found to be the most computationally efficient. A combination consisting of optical sensors, piezo-electrical actuators and fuzzy controllers was found to be the most efficient for implementing the adaptive wing system. The benefits of the morphing wing technology depend on the development of robust and reliable sensors, actuators and controllers that facilitate the operation of the flexible wing structure.