Low reynolds number behavior of a solid-state piezocomposite variable-camber wing

The low speed, low Reynolds number wind-tunnel analysis of a previously proposed solid-state piezocomposite variable-camber wing is presented. The wing employs a continuous inextensible surface, continuous boundary conditions and surface bonded independent piezoelectric actuators. The partially-active surface is designed to have sufficient bending stiffness in the chordwise and spanwise directions to sustain its shape under aerodynamic loading. The paper focusses on characterization through statistically defensible wind tunnel experiments based on Design of Experiments methodology. Significant aerodynamic response is quantified in terms of change in lift coefficient. The empirical results from a regression model demonstrate significant aerodynamic authority of the solid state variable-camber wing when operated in Reynolds numbers above 200,000 and in low turbulence conditions.