Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

A prototype system consisting of a morphing wing and a morphing aileron will be designed, manufactured and tested. The morphing mechanisms of the system will be controlled using various types of actuators and sensors with the aim of improving its aerodynamic performance for the next generation of modern aircraft. These improvements are focussed on:1. Improving wing tip-aileron performance at low subsonic speeds by optimising the pressure distribution; and 2. Promoting a large laminar flow run while preventing any eventual massive boundary layer separation by turbulent reattachment for the aileron to restore its efficiency and controllability. The modeling and simulation results will be validated with wind tunnel test data that will be performed at the IAR-NRC aerodynamics laboratory. Numerical aeroelasticity investigation studies will be performed to verify the flutter stability boundaries and to eliminate any eventual buffeting phenomenon of the system at transonic speeds. This project will be realized by two teams in two countries: Canada and Italy. The Canadian team will work on the morphing wing design, manufacturing and testing, while the Italian team will mainly work on the morphing aileron design, manufacturing and testing. The closed-loop controller model of the morphing system will be tested by the Canadian team in collaboration with the Italian team at the IAR-NRC wind tunnel. This innovative project will be extremely beneficial to the Canadian aerospace industry, specifically, to Bombardier Aerospace and Thalès Avionics, as well as to the Italian aerospace industry (Alenia). The performance and operational flexibility of new aircraft will be improved by the knowledge thus acquired, amply justifying the use of NSERC funds. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers will become familiar with the latest technology and thus even better qualified for jobs in the aerospace industry in various fields such as aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, composite structures design and manufacturing, actuators and sensors technologies, flight controls, wind tunnel testing, and combinations of these fields.