EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF A COMPLIANT MECHANISM FOR AN UAV LEADING EDGE

A description of a framework for a morphing leading edge will be given. The considered aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle with a span of 4 m. The first step of the framework is a skin optimisation with the main objective to realise a skin layup and a load introduction point in order to match given aerodynamic shapes. The second step is a topology optimisation to realise a kinematic inside the leading edge with a compliant mechanism. Due to ideal boundary conditions the simulation results have to be post processed for manufacturing. The experimental investigation will clarify the divergence between the simulation and the manufactured kinematic. The main objective of the experiments will be the deformation and the strain in the mechanism