A Novel Composite Morphing Skin Based on Elastic Skeleton: Conceptual Design and Parametric Analysis

At present, it has been proved that morphing wings have many aerodynamic advantages, but the lack of truly suitable morphing skin solution greatly limits the promotion and implementation of morphing technology. For the morphing skin, it is difficult to solve the conflict between the in-plane deformability and the out-of-plane stiffness to resist aerodynamic loads. At the same time, low driving force, air impermeability and other design requirements should also be taken into account. In this paper, a novel composite morphing skin based on elastic skeletons is proposed. Metal elastic skeletons are designed to achieve in-plane deformation, while layered rubber and metal skeletons providing out-of-plane stiffness and a smooth continuous surface. The in-plane tensile test of the morphing skin is carried out. It is proved that the tensile deformation can reach 20%. The in-plane mechanical behavior of the morphing skin is also simulated. Furthermore, the effects of structural parameters such as the geometric characteristics of elastic skeleton and the thickness ratio of metal skeleton to rubber on the mechanical properties of the skin are analyzed. The morphing skin proposed in this paper is a promising application for variable camber wing and other morphing structures.