BACKGROUND AND RECENT RESULTS OF THE EUROPEAN PROJECT ‘SMART HIGH LIFT DEVICES FOR NEXT GENERATION WINGS’ (SADE)

Recent aerodynamic concepts for significant reduction of drag call for laminarization which requires slim high-aspect-ratio wings and increased surface quality. As consequence of these demands state-of-the-art high lift systems prove not to be feasible any more. Thus, the European project “Smart High Lift Devices for Next Generation Wings” (SADE), which started in May 2008 and has a duration of 4 years, brings together an interdisciplinary research team comprising reputable re-search institutes and universities, OEMs and SMEs to develop suitable morphing high lift devices: The seamless 'smart leading edge device' is an indispensable enabler for laminar wings and offers a great benefit for reduction of acoustic emissions, the 'smart single slotted flap' with active camber capability permits a further increased lift. Thanks to their ability to adapt the wing's shape, both devices also offer aerodynamic benefits for cruise flight. The technological realization and optimization of these concepts towards the special requirements of full scale systems is the main objective within SADE. This requires a detailed study of the aeroelastic condition the structural system has been optimized for. Hence, a realistic full scale section of a morphing wing will be manufactured and tested in the TsAGI T101 wind tunnel for an investigation of these effects. An overview of the project’s objectives, its structure and first results will be given within this pape