11. Morphing Effects on the Aerodynamic Performances of a Supercritical Wing’s Prototype in Transonic Flow Conditions

A detailed parametric study for an Airbus A320 morphing wing, the tRS: Transonic Reduced Scale prototype of the H2020 N\(^{\circ }\) 723402 SMS project [1, 2], has been carried out through numerical simulations at cruise conditions. The present work is a continuation of the studies performed under the SMS project an also in the framework of the H2020 TEAMAERO “Towards Effective Flow Control and Mitigation of Shock Effects in Aeronautical Applications” [3] European research project. The chord’s length, 15 cm, was selected to adapt the prototype in the dimensions of the wind tunnel of IMP-PAN in Gdansk, partner of the SMS project. The trailing edge of the profile is actuated by electric piezoactuators whose motion has been modelled numerically using the High-Fidelity CFD solver Navier-Stokes Multi Block (NSMB) code. The simulations have provided more physical insights on the interaction between the shock wave, the shear-layers past the separation and the vortex dynamics in the wake. It was found that trailing edge actuations, by means of vibrations in the order of (100–750) Hz and slight deformations in the order of 0.2 mm, are able to modify the transonic interaction and effectively control the shock’s position. A lock-in effect has been obtained between the shock motion and the actuation frequency leading to considerable benefits. A good comparison of the shock’s motion between experiments carried out by IMP-PAN institute and the present simulations is obtained. Furthermore, an increase of the lift and the aerodynamic performance (lift-to-drag ratio) has been obtained in the order of 1%, for actuation frequencies 510 and 720 Hz, together with a reduction of the rms of the forces, indicating an attenuation of the transonic buffet. Therefore, the present morphing concept is to be considered as a promising way towards disruptive future wing design.