Virginia Tech AE/ME Morphing Wing Project

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Virginia Tech AE/ME Morphing Wing Project

• Final Presentation

April 24, 2003 VT AE/ME Morphing
Wing Team 1
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Morphing is defined as a change in the aircrafts
physical characteristics

• Smooth shape change of wing surfaces
• More efficient flight
• Reduced radar cross-section

Soar, observe
Maneuverability
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There are two main types of morphing
Mission Morphing
Control Morphing

• Aspect ratio change
• Area change
• Dihedral change

• Camber change
• Twist change
• Continuous control surface change

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Our first control morphing idea was to use
linkages off the servo to provide deflection

• Pros
• Simple to actuate
• 180O deflection
• Good Mechanical Advantage
• Cons
• Weak
• Not enough room to fasten links

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Further analysis showed that an interlocking and
jointed rib provided more reliable actuation

• Pros
• Increased Stability
• Easy to assemble
• Cons
• Reduced deflection (30O)
• Requires more actuator force

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Time constraints and technical difficulties
forced a decision to only go with mission
morphing design

• The laser cam broke
• Time restraints
• Decided to buy same kit and alter as
  needed

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BetaMax construction was modeled after the Delta
Vortex design

• Removed last rib
• Added telescoping wing
• No CG change mechanism

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A comparison of the structural differences
between the Delta Vortex and the BetaMax
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Static stability provides clues to flight
characteristics
Neutral point and center of gravity are measured
from the trailing edge
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The telescoping wing was a preliminary design
concept last semester

• Increased wingspan benefits landing and
  low-speed cruise
• Retract for increased maneuverability

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The telescoping wings were developed in several
stages

• Wings were hot-wire cut from R7 insulation foam
• The foam was coated in fiberglass to make a rigid
  structure
• Finally, plastic guide tubes were inserted by
  drilling out the foam
• The guide tubes ride on twin aluminum rails that
  are anchored within the plane

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A bi-lateral rack and pinion coupled to a slider
crank mechanism was used to move the wings

• Custom acrylic housing for the dual rack and
  pinion system
• Servo with the stops removed is used to run the
  wings in and out
• Kill switches maintain a maximum distance of
  travel

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Balance calculations were performed prior to
first flight

• Delta Vortex I
• Center of Gravity is 22 inches from trailing edge
• Neutral Point is 19 inches from the trailing edge
• 8 Stability

• Beta Max II
• Center of Gravity is 20.5 inches from trailing
  edge
• Neutral Point is 19 inches from the trailing edge
• 4.7 and 7.4 Stability in/out
• Surface Area Wings 15

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We will collect data to compare all of our designs
Physical Data
Performance Data

• Accelerations
• Body rates

• Airspeed
• Control surface deflections/forces

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We needed a variety of instruments to find flight
characterization data

• Pitot tube/Pressure Transducer dynamic pressure
• Accelerometers accelerations, forces
• Gyros body angular rates
• Potentiometers - to measure control surface
  position

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We found off-the-shelf items that will provide us
with the necessary data
Crossbow CXL-10LP3 Triple Axis Accelerometer
Crossbow AD2000 Data Logger
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We found off-the-shelf items that will provide us
with the necessary data
Dwyer Standard Model 1/8 pitot tube along with
Dwyer Differential Pressure Transducer
Analog Devices Piezo-Electric Gyroscope
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We found off-the-shelf items that will provide us
with the necessary data
Signal Conditioning Circuitry on a breadboard
Radio Shack 5K-ohm potentiometer
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We instrumented each aircraft to record data
Delta Vortex

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We instrumented each aircraft to record data
Beta Max
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Signal conditioning was necessary for several of
the instruments
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During the flights, we successfully collected
data from each of the instruments
Delta Vortex loop and roll
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During the flights, we successfully collected
data from each of the instruments
BetaMax Roll
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Two flight attempts were performed with the
BetaMax

• Improper balancing resulted in a failed first
  flight

• BetaMax (version 1.0) vs. Delta Vortex
• 50 heavier
• 30 less elevon area
• 5 more statically stable (harder to rotate)

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The balance and weight problems were easily fixed
by removing the added weight

• Reduced weight by 2 lbs
• Moved CG further back, lessening static margin
• Constructed new elevons with 11 more area than
  those of the Delta Vortex

Unfortunately, other problems arose
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We have accomplished most of our goals for this
year

• Build and fly a conventional delta wing
• Gather performance data from conventional delta
  wing
• Build and fly morphing delta wing
• Gather performance data from morphing delta wing
• Compare data

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We plan to fly the Delta Vortex and the BetaMax
one more time

• Will fly specific flight paths with both aircraft
• Fuel consumption will be measured and compared
• Data will be analyzed
• by future teams

Questions?