Design and Evaluation of a Single-Actuated Multi-Mode Morphing Wing

Morphing wings have gained attention owing to the ability to improve aerodynamic properties of aircraft in real time. However, achieving more morphing types with fewer actuators is challenging. In this article, a novel morphing wing is proposed. Its characteristic is that multi-mode morphing configurations with smooth shapes can be realized using one actuator. A light-weight compliant-lockable joint with a large locking torque is designed to switch morphing configurations. The dynamic modeling of the wing is established. A closed-loop control framework of the multi-mode morphing is also derived. Finally, experiments are performed to verify the effectiveness. The results show the wing can realize a sweep-morphing angle of 51° and a wingspan-morphing of 1/4 of its span. It also has high stiffness and can withstand an out-of-plane load of 10.5 kg/m² and an in-plane load of 3 kg/m². Moreover, it exhibits high-accuracy morphing performance, with an average tracking error of 0.993° (1.99% of the morphing range) for the sweep morphing and 1.803 mm (1.80% of the morphing range) for the wingspan morphing. Its dynamic load-carrying performance and aerodynamic performance are further verified by wind tunnel experiments.