STATIC AEROELASTIC CONTROL OF AN ADAPTIVE LIFTING SURFACE

This article examines the ability of an active material to change lift by changing the static aeroelastic stiffness of swept and unswept wings. Piezoelectric actuators are embedded in an idealized laminated composite wing structure that can adapt to changing flight conditions. A feedback control system senses wing root strains and then applies a proportional voltage to active actuator layers to change wing lift or divergence dynamic pressure. The amount of wing lift change is constrained by limited piezoelectric stiffness, electromechanical coupling coefficients, and limits on the size of the applied electric field. It is also constrained by the way the active material is integrated into the parent structure. Nondimensional parameters identify these limits by relating wing parameters to active material capabilities.