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Old 09-25-2012 | 04:53 PM
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Cubdriver
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Default Changeable wing shapes and surfaces

I've seen a number of ideas put into test stage on morphing wings, from boundary layer control to airfoil alteration. It's highly desirable from an aerodynamic point of view. However, it adds weight and taxes the structural elements, even if you have the technology to do it. Morphing wings are a problem the next generation of engineers will possibly bring to maturity.
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Morphing’ Wing Under Development


(M. Phelps, Flying, 9/25) German research company DLR completed wind tunnel tests early this month on a unique new concept in wing-leading-edge design. Rather than slats, the new-concept wing has a leading edge that changes shape internally, “drooping” to a higher-lift airfoil configuration without the drag and noise of leading edge slats.
The design uses a flexible glass-fiber reinforced material shaped by internal actuators and movable support structure. “The leading edge can be lowered by up to 20 degrees with virtually no loss of lift,” said project leader Markus Kintscher of DLR’s Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems in Braunschweig, Germany.
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