High-Fidelity Numerical Simulations

In this chapter, the physical analysis and optimisation of the morphing behaviour have been performed by means of numerical High-Fidelity (Hi-Fi) fluid-structure interaction simulations. The most advanced turbulence modelling approaches in the context of CFDSM (Computational Fluid Dynamics Structural Mechanics) have been used. This effort had as main objective to analyse the optimal actuations and to explain why they provide a high aerodynamic performance. This work provided the optimal wing shapes as well as the optimal ranges of frequency vibrations, amplitudes, and actuators positions and accompanied the experiments in the context of a synergistic database among the numerical (Hi-Fi) and experimental results. This considerably reduced the design cycles and the final prototype experiments, by allowing targeted optimised sensing/morphing configurations. By means of Adjoint-Based approaches, the optimal wing shapes have been derived, therefore ensuring a high efficiency of the final morphing prototypes, beyond the initially expected orders of magnitude. The main achievements are presented in four parts: sRS, tRS and LS prototypes, as well as for the full A320 aircraft with morphing wings. This last is an important added value, not initially previewed in the DoA, that proved the efficiency of the morphing wing concepts on the full aircraft.