This PhD study developed a composite structure with extreme orthotropic stiffness properties that offers the possibility for use as a skin panel in a morphing trailing edge control surface. The work has shown through an extensive literature review a lack of maturity in existing morphing skin concepts and thus the need for further research and development in this field. The focus of this investigation was on arranging conventional composite materials in a hierarchical structure that allows the combination of inherently different properties such as compliance and stiffness. This resulted in a fibre reinforced composite corrugated sandwich structure that is stiff parallel to the corrugation direction and relatively compliant, in tension and flexure, transverse to the corrugation direction. Experimental, analytical and numerical structural analysis was carried out to define the envelope within which corrugated structures can be designed to meet the requirements of a morphing skin. Further experimental and numerical aerodynamic investigations showed how to best implement these corrugated morphing skins in order to minimise the aerodynamic penalties. The combination of these results led to the design, manufacturing and testing of an aerofoil section with a morphing trailing edge control surface that incorporates a corrugated morphing skin. Low speed wind tunnel tests proved the concept but also highlighted limitations and raised suggestions for future work
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:685422 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Thill, Christophe |
| Publisher | University of Bristol |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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