The paper presents the results of the aerodynamic optimisation of an Unmanned Aerial System's wing using a morphing approach. The shape deformation of the wing is achieved by placing actuator lines at several positions along its span. For each flight condition, the optimal displacements are found by using a combination of the new Artificial Bee Colony algorithm and a classical gradient-based search routine. The wing aerodynamic characteristics are calculated with an efficient nonlinear lifting line method coupled with a two-dimensional viscous flow solver. The optimisations are performed at angles of attack below the maximum lift angle, with the aim of improving the Hydra Technologies UAS-S4 wing lift-to-drag ratio. Several configurations of the morphing wing are proposed, each with a different number of actuation lines, and the improvements obtained by these configurations are analysed and compared.

The actuation mechanism is a crucial aspect in the design of morphing structures due to the very stringent requirements involving actuation torque, consumed power, and allowable size and weight.

In the framework of the CRIAQ MD0-505 project, novel design strategies are investigated to enable morphing of aeronautical structures. This paper deals with the design of a morphing aileron with the main focus on the actuation technology. The morphing aileron consists of segmented 'finger-like' ribs capable of changing the aerofoil camber in order to match target aerodynamic shapes. In this work, lightweight and compact actuation kinematics driven by electromechanical actuators are investigated to actuate the morphing device. An unshafted distributed servo-electromechanical actuation arrangement is employed to realise the transition from the baseline configuration to a set of target aerodynamic shapes by also withstanding the aerodynamics loads. Numerical investigations are detailed to identify the optimal actuation architecture matching as well as the system integratability and structural compactness.

Analysis of the performance of a 1/4.71 model-scale and full-scale Sikorsky S-76 main rotor in hover is presented using the multi-block computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver of Glasgow University. For the model-scale blade, three different tip shapes were compared for a range of collective pitch and tip Mach numbers. It was found that the anhedral tip provided the highest Figure of Merit. Rigid and elastic full-scale S-76 rotor blades were investigated using a loosely coupled CFD/Computational Structural Dynamics (CSD) method. Results showed that aeroelastic effects were more significant for high thrust cases. Finally, an acoustic study was performed in the tip-path-plane of both rotors, showing good agreement in the thickness and loading noise with the theory. For the anhedral tip of the model-scale blade, a reduction of 5% of the noise level was predicted. The overall good agreement with the theory and experimental data demonstrated the capability of the present CFD method to predict rotor flows accurately.

Quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) tools developed for capturing flow and acoustic dynamics in non-segmented solid rocket motors are evaluated using multi-dimensional computational fluid dynamic simulations and used to characterise damping of modal perturbations. For motors with high length-to-diameter ratios (of the order of 10), remarkably accurate estimates of frequencies and damping rates of lower modes can be obtained using the the quasi-1D approximation. Various grain configurations are considered to study the effect of internal geometry on damping rates. Analysis shows that lower cross-sectional area at the nozzle entry plane is found to increase damping rates of all the modes. The flow-turning loss for a mode increases if the more mass addition due to combustion is added at pressure nodes. For the fundamental mode, this loss is, therefore, maximum if burning area is maximum at the centre. The insights from this study in addition to recommendations made by Blomshield(1) based on combustion considerations would be very helpful in realizing rocket motors free from combustion instability.

Wind-tunnel tests of a heavy-class helicopter model were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of several components optimised for drag reduction by computational fluid dynamics analysis. The optimised components included different hub-cap configurations, a fairing for blade attachments and the sponsons. Moreover, the effects of vortex generators positioned on the back ramp were investigated. The optimisation effect was evaluated by comparison of the drag measurements carried out for both the original and the optimised helicopter configurations. The comprehensive experimental campaign involved the use of different measurement techniques. Indeed, pressure measurements and stereo particle image velocimetry surveys were performed to achieve a physical insight about the results of load measurements. The test activity confirms the achievement of an overall reduction of about 6% of the original model drag at cruise attitude.

This paper presents the design and optimisation of an aerofoil with active continuous trailing-edge flap (CTEF) investigated as a potential rotorcraft active control device. Several structural cross-section models are developed: high-fidelity NASA STRucture ANalysis (NASTRAN) and University of Michigan/Variational Asymptotic Beam Section Code (UM/VABS) models and a reduced-order analysis model. The validation of the reduced-order model is established by comparing its predictions of CTEF deformations with those of NASTRAN and UM/VABS analyses, which both show good agreement. The 2D aerodynamic characteristics of the CTEF aerofoil are evaluated using XFOIL and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses: FUN3D and Overset Transonic Unsteady Rotor Navier-Stokes (OVERTURNS). XFOIL, coupled with the reduced-order structure model, is adopted for optimisation study. The accuracy of XFOIL in predicting the aerodynamic pressure of the CTEF aerofoil is verified using CFD simulations, which shows sufficient fidelity. The predicted variations of aerodynamic coefficients with a CTEF angle are compared among the aerodynamic analyses. The optimisation process is developed and applied to two bimorph bender configurations: a Macro-Fibre Composite (MFC) solid bender and an MFC stack bender. The solid bender is used to confirm the functioning of the optimisation procedure and to use its optimal layout as a reference to the stack design, the primary design object. A linear tapered shape is found to be the optimum for a MFC solid bender, which generates an average of 63% more CTEF angles than those of an optimal rectangular bender. An optimised MFC stack bender is shown to resemble the shape of the solid bender. A four-ply bimorph is considered the best choice among the stack layouts because of its large output of CTEF angles and relatively less plies required. The CTEF angle produced by the four-ply optimal layout ranges from 7.6° to 5.3° with speeds from 0 to 200m/s at an angle of attack (AoA) of 6°. The reduction in the CTEF angle with AoA is less steep than that with speed, ranging from 6.5° to 5.8° with AoA from 0 to 8° at speed of 166m/s. An average of 14% increase in CTEF angles is achieved through optimisation for the four-ply bimorph.

Experiments and computations have been made to obtain the details of the flow field over a slender body at high angles of attack at a freestream velocity of 17 m/s corresponding to a Reynolds number of 2.9×104 based on the base diameter. Experiments indicated that the existence of side force at higher angles of attack is mainly due to the presence of asymmetric vortices in the leeward side. A rectangular cross-section circular ring placed at an axial distance of 3.5 times the base diameter reduced the side force at all the angles of attack. Investigations were made to obtain the effect of the height of the ring at an angle-of-attack of 50° where the side force experienced is relatively large. A ring placed at a distance of 3.5 times the base diameter alters the initial vortices and hence helps in substantial reduction of the side force. Studies with rings of different heights indicate that a ring having a height of 3% of the local diameter reduced the side force at almost all the angles of attack for the present flow conditions and provided the least disturbance to the lift and drag of the body.

The authors were listed incorrectly in the article by Zanotti(1). The authors should have appeared in the following order:

G. Gibertini, A. Zanotti, G. Droandi, D. Grassi, G. Campanardi, F. Auteri, A. Aceti and A. Le Pape

The article has now been updated with all authors listed in the correct order. This change has been made to the online and print PDF and HTML copies.