Shape morphing of aircraft wing: Status and challenges

In this paper, the recent activity in conceptual design, prototype fabrication, and evaluation of shape morphing wing is concisely classified. Of special interest are concepts which include smart materials such as shape memory alloys (SMA), piezoelectric actuators (PZT), and shape memory polymers (SMP). We will also provide several concepts that have been developed and evaluated by the authors. Our work indicates that antagonistic SMA-actuated flexural structures form a possible enabling technology for wing morphing of small aircraft. The use of SMA-actuated structures in shape morphing wing designs reduces the weight penalty due to the actuation systems, because such SMA-actuated structures carry aerodynamic loads.