Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic Characteristics of Wings with Conformal Control Surfaces for Morphing Aircraft

Investigations are conducted on lifting surfaces with conventional and conformal trailing-edge control surfaces. The Sohngen inversion formula is used with the thin-airfoil integral equation to determine the aerodynamic pressure for various control surface chord-to-airfoil chord ratios. Comparisons to a conventional control surface show increases in lift and pitching moment of the airfoil with a conformal control surface. Aerodynamic pressure distributions acting on a wing with control surfaces are determined with the vortex lattice technique. Predicted aerodynamic pressures and roll moments are compared to available wind-tunnel data and provide a more general understanding of the aerodynamic behavior observed there. Roll performance of a rectangular wing is determined for various control surface chord-to-wing chord ratios. It is found that the maximum roll rate is greater for a wing with a conformal control surface, but has a lower reversal dynamic pressure than the wing with a conventional control surface. The aerodynamic and aeroelastic results obtained from this investigation provide some insight for wings designed with conformal control surfaces.