Unsteady parametrization of a morphing wing design for improved aerodynamic performance

Abstract

A morphing wing is a bio-inspired concept where all moving parts e.g. slats/flaps are replaced with a deformable body. This paper describes a methodology that uses modified parametrization methods to define a morphing geometry, and applies user-defined function (UDF) to generate dynamic meshing around it for unsteady flow analysis. To verify mesh quality during deformation, steady CFD results of a deformed mesh at a
\n‘frozen’ time-step were compared to those from a regenerated
\nmesh over a range of angles of attack. It was found that results from a deformed and re-generated mesh are in good agreement, confirming the validity of dynamic meshing. Furthermore, a comparison study between a morphed and flapped airfoil was performed, where it was observed that the morphed airfoil produced higher lift/drag ratio than the flapped one. Finally, an unsteady CFD analysis was conducted using the
\ndeveloped UDF as a proof of concept study for further
\nresearch.