Abstract
Changing the aerodynamic forces acting on an aerofoil is most commonly done by camber change using an actuated pin-jointed control surface at the trailing edge. There can be significant mass penalties with such devices and achieving a smooth camber variation is difficult. This work presents a design for an aerofoil section which has at least two stable camber geometries. The aerofoil’s multistability derives from the use of a novel tape-spring assembly. A tape-spring is effectively a cylindrical shell. They possess the unusual mechanical property of being able to be folded elastically and lock when straightened. The design case considered is based on a typical helicopter main rotor blade. The multistable device is used to improve the performance of the rotor blade during the transition between hover and forward flight. Force-displacement characteristics of the flap are found experimentally and compared with finite element and analytical models. Both modelling techniques are in good agreement with the manufactured demonstrator.
| Translated title of the contribution | Multistable Tape-Spring Assemblies for Morphing Aerofoil Applications |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Title of host publication | 19th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies (ICAST), Ascona, Switzerland |
| Pages | 1 - 9 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Oct 2008 |