Comparison of Morphing Wing Stategies Based upon Aircraft Performance Impacts

Abstract

Conventional aircraft are designed for a specific mission and/or set of performance requirements. These requirements often cause the performance for certain mission segments to be compromised because of fixed wing geometry. While some devices, such as flaps, have been used to augment the wing geometry, new materials are being developed that could allow significant wing morphing capability. This paper demonstrates the impact of a morphing wing on aircraft performance and provides a method to compare various morphing strategies.