Design and Validation of a Passive Camber Morphing Concept for Rotorcraft

This paper presents an overview of the design and validation of a novel passive camber morphing system for rotorcraft. The passive system works for a variable speed rotor where a potential increase in pilot control authority and power reduction is possible. In the proposed concept, the rotor speed is varied by 10% to change the apparent centrifugal force which is used to morph a trailing edge flap by a mechanical system. In this context, the important design parameters in relation to the passive morphing concept are introduced, after which the working principle of the concept is explained. The design and development of the test demonstrator, experiments in a whirl tower setup, and test findings are also presented. The results indicate that a passive trailing edge morphing concept is feasible and has the potential to be used in a variable speed rotor to achieve the desired performance benefits.