Morphing structures reveal path to sustainable, quiet aviation

Kauffman talks about sustainable aviation. The Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems of the German AerospaceCenter, DLR, in July completed fabrication of a morphing wing trailing-edge demonstrator for fluid-actuated morphing. The wing has metal-reinforced elastomeric hydraulic chambers that defect under fluid pressurization. Researchers at the Delft University of Technology also fabricated a smart wing section in the quest for ultra-lightweight structures and sustainable aviation. In April and August, they conducted wind tunnel tests of the section, which comprises a control surface and spoiler to test active aeroelastic control, including physics-based and data-driven nonlinear algorithms. In supersonic applications, in September NASA's University Leadership Initiative team led by Texas A&M demonstrated its first multisegment morphing panel.