KR20220072241A - Morphing flpa module of variable camber - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to a variable camber morphing flap, in the morphing flap module in which a plurality of flexible ribs are connected to each other according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the flexible rib is a driving unit receiving power from a driving device, A moving part whose position is changed by the motion, it is bent downward according to a change in the position of the moving part, and is bent downward according to a change in the position of the upper deforming part and the moving part forming the upper surface of the airfoil, and the lower surface of the airfoil It may include a lower deformable portion to form, the upper surface and the lower surface of the airfoil may be to form a continuous surface.

Description

Variable camber morphing flap module {MORPHING FLPA MODULE OF VARIABLE CAMBER}

This application relates to a variable camber morphing flap module.

If an aircraft can change the aerodynamic characteristics by changing the shape of the wing during flight, various missions can be performed. For this purpose, various aircraft morphing technologies are being developed. It can be used when needed.

In general, flaps applied to aircraft generate aerodynamic loss by creating discontinuous surfaces in the shape of mechanical flaps and airfoils, and since the connecting parts of these flaps are coupled by a hinge, vibration and noise problems occur.

In the case of a typical flap, a portion of the trailing edge of the wing is bent by a hinge, which creates a discontinuous surface in the airfoil and increases drag, which can decrease the efficiency of the aircraft.

In the case of a morphing flap, aerodynamic performance can be improved by solving the problems of these mechanical flaps.

The technology that is the background of the present application is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1271485.

An object of the present application is to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and an object of the present application is to provide a variable camber morphing flap module in which ribs having a flexible structure are configured in multiple stages.

However, the technical problems to be achieved by the embodiment of the present application are not limited to the technical problems as described above, and other technical problems may exist.

As a technical means for achieving the above technical problem, a morphing flap module in which a plurality of flexible ribs are connected to each other according to an embodiment of the present application, the flexible rib is a driving unit receiving power from a driving device, by the received power The moving part whose position changes, it bends downward according to the change in the position of the moving part, and the upper deformable part forming the upper surface of the airfoil and the moving part bend downward according to the change in the position of the moving part, and the lower deformation forming the lower surface of the airfoil Including a portion, the upper surface and the lower surface of the airfoil may be to form a continuous surface.

The above-described problem solving means are merely exemplary, and should not be construed as limiting the present application. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, additional embodiments may exist in the drawings and detailed description.

According to the above-described problem solving means of the present application, by providing a morphing flap module that performs the role of a flap by changing the camber angle of the airfoil due to elastic deformation of the structure, there is no discontinuity in the wing surface before and after operation, unlike the existing mechanical flaps, so aerodynamic efficiency can be improved.

In addition, the morphing flap module has a continuous deformable shape, so that it is possible to provide a structure capable of driving with an increase in the aspect ratio and a small deformation of the driving unit such as 2,5 mm.

However, the effects obtainable herein are not limited to the above-described effects, and other effects may exist.

1 is a view showing a morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application.
Figure 2 is a view showing a flexible rib according to an embodiment of the present application.
3 is a view showing a wing to which a morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application is applied.
4 is a view showing the pressure coefficient acting on the airfoil surface of the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application.
5 is a view showing the experimental configuration of the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application.
6 is a view showing the operation of the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application pertains can easily carry out. However, the present application may be implemented in several different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. And in order to clearly explain the present application in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout this specification, when a part is "connected" with another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly connected" but also the case where it is "electrically connected" with another element interposed therebetween. do.

Throughout this specification, when it is said that a member is positioned “on”, “on”, “on”, “under”, “under”, or “under” another member, this means that a member is positioned on the other member. It includes not only the case where they are in contact, but also the case where another member exists between two members.

Throughout this specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs.

Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be construed in an ideal or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined herein. do.

The suffixes “module,” “block,” and “part” for components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of writing the specification only, and do not have a meaning or role distinct from each other by themselves. .

1 is a view showing a morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application. 1(a) and 1(b) show the morphing flap module viewed from different angles, respectively, and FIG. 1(b) shows the shape combined with the front part.

Referring to Figure 1, the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application is made by connecting a plurality of flexible ribs to each other, and the flexible ribs are a driving unit receiving power from a driving device, and a moving unit whose position is changed by the received power. , curved downward according to a change in the position of the moving part, curved downward according to a change in the position of the upper deforming part and the moving part forming the upper surface of the airfoil, and including a lower deforming part forming the lower surface of the airfoil; The upper and lower surfaces of the foil may form a continuous surface. A plurality of flexible ribs may be connected to each other to form a morphing flap module, and the flexible ribs may be connected to each other by a stringer or the like. The plurality of flexible ribs may receive the same power from the driving device at the same time, and may be changed to the same shape.

1 illustrates an exemplary morphing flap module in which multi-stage (five-stage) flexible ribs are connected to each other, and may be configured in various stages. The multi-stage flexible ribs are connected to each other by a stringer. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the upper and lower surfaces of the morphing flap module may be coupled to a flexible cover, skin, or the like. One end of each of the flexible ribs may be fixed by being coupled to a support part, a spar, or the like.

The morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application may correspond to a morphing flap that functions as a flap by changing the camber angle of the airfoil through elastic deformation of the structure. In addition, unlike the existing mechanical flaps, there is no discontinuity in the wing surface before and after operation, so aerodynamic efficiency can be improved, and the lift ratio can be increased by having a continuous deformation shape. In addition, as will be described later, a small change in the driving unit of 2.5 mm, that is, a change in the position of the moving unit, has the advantage of being a structure that can be driven only by a small change of 2.5 mm.

The morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application may be applied to an aircraft wing flap, may be applied to the development of morphing flap technology, and may be applied to a symmetrical airfoil to develop a morphing control surface that can be driven up and down.

Unlike other morphing flaps or mechanical flaps applied only to the end of the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application, the morphing structure may be applied to the remaining portion except for the leading edge structure that is 25% of the length of the cord. In addition, compared to the existing mechanical flap, there is no discontinuity surface, continuous deformation shape can improve aerodynamic efficiency, and it can be driven with only a small deformation of 2.5 mm, and a morphing that can apply the rib structure to the actual blade It can be configured as a flap module.

By using the elastic deformation characteristics of the structure of the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application, when a small deformation is applied to the driving part, a continuous deformation shape is formed and the aerodynamic efficiency is improved by increasing the lift ratio of the flap, and the flap Even when not in operation, unlike mechanical flaps, there are no discontinuities, so there is no loss of aerodynamics in flight. In addition, since it is a mechanism that operates through deformation of the structure, there is an advantage that there is no backlash unlike a mechanism using bearings and gears.

Figure 2 is a view showing a flexible rib according to an embodiment of the present application. In Fig. 2 (a), it can be seen that the movement direction (displacement of the end) of the flexible rib end according to the movement direction (displacement of the actuator) of the driving unit of the flexible rib is confirmed, and in Fig. 2 (b), the driving unit (A), the end (B), You can check the aircraft wing part (C).

Referring to FIG. 2 , the flexible rib may include a driving unit, a moving unit, an upper deformable unit, and a lower deformable unit. The driving unit A may receive power from the driving device, and the driving device and the method of receiving power to the driving device may be variously applied. Illustratively, a rotating device such as a motor is provided on the main body or blade, a shaft connected to the rotating device extends in the wing direction, and a wire is connected between the shaft and each driving unit, so that the wire is wound as the rotating device rotates Or, it can be released to transmit power to the driving unit. In addition to the above examples, it is possible to simultaneously transmit the same power to the respective driving units of the flexible ribs in various ways.

The moving part may be changed in position by receiving power. 2, the moving part may be formed to extend from the driving part to one side inside the flexible rib, and may be connected to the upper deformable part and the lower deformable part by a connecting member. In FIG. 2 , when power is transmitted to the driving unit and the driving unit moves in the -x direction, the position of the moving unit may change in the same direction by the power transmitted to the driving unit. The upper deformable part and the lower deformable part may be bent downward according to a change in the position of the moving part, and the degree of curvature may vary according to the amount of change in the position of the moving part. The connecting members connected to the lower deformable part and the upper deformable part may be connected such that the lower deformable part and the upper deformable part are bent downward when the moving part moves in the -x direction, respectively.

The upper deformable part and the lower deformable part may form an upper surface and a lower surface of the airfoil, respectively, and may be bent downward according to a change in the position of the moving part. At this time, both before and after the upper deformable part and the lower deformable part are bent downward, the upper surface and the lower surface of the airfoil may form a continuous surface. The upper deformable portion and the lower deformable portion are formed in concave-convex shapes on the upper and lower portions to correspond to the shape of the airfoil so as to be bent, and can be bent downward by elasticity. In addition, in order to form a continuous upper surface and lower surface of the airfoil before and after bending downward, a surface member attached to a support member protruding upward and downward may be included in the upper deformable part and the lower deformable part. When power is transmitted to the driving part (A) in the -x direction, the moving part moves in the -x direction, and accordingly, the upper deformable part and the lower deformable part are bent downward, and the end (B) of the flexible rib moves in the -y direction. will move

The flexible rib is a rib having a flexible structure, and displacement is applied to the driving part of the flexible rib designed and manufactured as shown in FIG. 2, and the deflection of the trailing edge and the force required for driving can be measured. In addition, the lift force that the morphing flap module or flexible rib receives due to air flow during flight can be analyzed through simulation before design, manufacturing and measurement, and the displacement of the flap can be checked depending on the presence or absence of the lift force generated in the morphing flap module. .

A morphing flap module in which a flexible rib or a plurality of flexible ribs are connected to each other according to an embodiment of the present application, a single flexible rib or the entire structure (morphing flap module) is elastically deformed by applying a small deformation of up to 2.5 mm to the driving unit Therefore, it can correspond to an aircraft morphing flap with a structure that deforms the camber angle of the airfoil and deforms the tip up to about 30mm.

1 to 2 are about a morphing flap (morphing flap module) to which a variable camber structure is applied and a rib structure (flexible rib) constituting the morphing flap, and the driving part (A) of the morphing flap rib structure is moved in the -x direction. If you pull 2.5mm to , the end B can sag 30mm in the -y direction while maintaining the airfoil shape and curved surfaces (upper and lower surfaces) of the entire structure. In addition, the C part of the morphing rib structure can be mounted on an aircraft wing.

3 is a view showing a wing to which a morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application is applied.

Referring to Figure 3, it is a view showing that the morphing flap module is applied to the wings of the 1/4 scale Supercub UAV. 3 shows that it is applied to the wings of a 1/4 scale Supercub UAV by way of example, but it can be applied to wings of various shapes and sizes. In addition, the dimensions of the morphing flap module shown in FIG. 3 are all exemplary, and may be designed and applied in various dimensions.

4 to 6 below, when a small displacement (amount of position change of the moving part) of the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application is applied, the displacement of the end of the flexible rib or the end of the morphing flap module is large, and the actual lift is It can be seen that the deformed shape can be maintained by the morphing flap module even in the operating environment.

A commercial analysis program can be used to obtain the lift applied to the morphing flap (morphing flap module) according to an embodiment of the present application and use it in an experiment. That is, the lift applied to the morphing flap module can be experimentally analyzed through simulation. Analysis can be performed with the maximum deformation shape of the flap, that is, the maximum deformation shape of the end of the flexible rib of the morphing flap module, flip length (horizontal length of the morphing flap module) b=0.38m, flight speed V=20m/ Simulation can be performed with s, density ρ=1.225kg/m3, Re=550,000, and the pressure coefficient acting on the airfoil surface can be obtained as an analysis result.

4 is a view showing the pressure coefficient acting on the airfoil surface of the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application.

4 shows the pressure coefficient acting on the airfoil surface as an analysis result according to the above experimental conditions. (1), (2), (3) of [Equation 1] below can be used to obtain the lifting force and pitching moment acting on the flap of the morphing flap module using the pressure coefficient given in FIG.

[Formula 1]

As in the morphing flap module, deformation does not occur at the point 25% from the leading edge of the airfoil, and only the load at the 25%~100% point where the flexible ribs and flaps act can be considered, and for the convenience of the experiment, 25%~ 50%, 50%~75%, 75%~100% After obtaining the equivalent lift force and pitching moment, respectively, the position where the load is applied can be obtained. Accordingly, the results shown in [Table 1] below can be obtained.

[Table 1]

5 is a view showing the experimental configuration of the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Based on the results of Fig. 4, [Equation 1] and [Table 1], it is possible to configure a morphing flap module experimental apparatus as shown in Fig. 5 . The flexible structure flap, that is, the flexible rib may have a thickness of 5 mm for example, and the flexible structure morphing flap module may be composed of five flexible ribs. A stringer may be installed on the flexible rib to attach the skin of the flexible material.

In the experiment of the flexible structure morphing flap module, the lift force can be simulated in such a way that the upper and lower surfaces are turned over to apply the load in the lift direction, mounted on the experimental jig, and an object of the weight calculated above is suspended at a predetermined position. The experiment changes the displacement of the driving part, that is, the displacement of the moving part or the amount of change in the position of the moving part by 0.5 mm to 0.5 to 2.5 mm, and the displacement of the end of the flexible rib or the end of the morphing flap module can be measured with a laser sensor The force required to drive can be measured with a spring scale.

6 is a view showing the operation of the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application.

6 is a result of testing the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application according to the results of FIGS. 4, 5, [Equation 1], and [Table 1], and the displacement of the driving unit from top to bottom, that is, the position of the moving part It shows the operating status of the morphing flap module when the amount of change is 0mm, 0.5mm, and 1.0mm, and shows the operating status of the morphing flap module when the displacement of the driving part is 1.5mm, 2.0mm, and 2.5mm from top right to bottom. As shown in Figure 6, even if the upper deformable portion and the lower deformable portion of the flexible rib of the morphing flap module is bent, it can be confirmed that the airfoil has a continuous surface.

[Table 2] below summarizes the results of FIG. 6, and the amount of flexible ribs according to the presence or absence of lifting force on the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application, power applied to the driving part, and displacement of the driving part (= position change of the moving part) The end, that is, the end displacement of the morphing flap module can be checked. When the displacement of the driving part changes by 2.5mm, it can be seen that the displacement of the end of the flexible rib changes by 29.1mm at rest and 28.8mm during flight (when lift is applied).

[Table 2]

4 to 6, [Equation 1], [Table 1] and [Table 2] above, in order to test the performance of the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application, exemplarily, Supercub 1 It can be applied to the production of morphing flap wings of /4 scale unmanned aerial vehicles, and the results of testing and manufacturing a morphing flap module composed of flexible ribs can be checked. The morphing flap module deformed the tip up to 29.1mm when displacement of 2.5mm (the amount of movement of the moving part) was applied to the driving part. It can be seen that there is a difference of less than 5% compared to the time. That is, even in actual flight, when the camber of the wing is changed using the morphing flap module according to an embodiment of the present application, that is, when the flap operates, it can be confirmed that the tip can be bent downward even by the lift force applied. have.

As described above, it is possible to select an actuator for operating the morphing flap, and to design and manufacture the morphing flap blade.

The foregoing description of the present application is for illustration, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application pertains will understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present application. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a dispersed form, and likewise components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present application is indicated by the following claims rather than the above detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present application.

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Claims (1)

In the morphing flap module made of a plurality of flexible ribs are connected to each other,
The flexible rib is
a driving unit receiving power from the driving device;
a moving unit whose position is changed by the received power;
an upper deforming part which is bent downward according to a change in the position of the moving part and forms an upper surface of the airfoil; and
A lower deformable part that bends downward according to a change in the position of the moving part, and forms a lower surface of the airfoil;
includes,
The upper surface and the lower surface of the airfoil will form a continuous surface, a morphing flap module.

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