Structures, Actuation and Control of Morphing Systems

Dear Colleagues, 

Morphing technologies have the potential to improve aircraft performance and have attracted attention from researchers around the world in the past few decades. Through morphing, aircraft can change shape or even configuration in different flight conditions, which accordingly improves performance in multiple flight phases compared to fixed-geometry aircraft. 

Structures, actuation, and control are among the key factors to design, manufacture, and certificate a promising morphing system. Different to conventional aircraft structures, morphing structures need to simultaneously have load-carrying and shape-changing capabilities, which makes it challenging for them to remain lightweight. Compliant structures and mechanisms have been investigated, and many promising solutions have been proposed. In terms of actuation, it is usually necessary to integrate actuators into structures. Quite a few options have appeared, including conventional electric actuators and innovative smart materials. With actuation integrated, the next step is to consider how to control the shape of the system accurately, considering the effects of structural stiffness, actuation force, and external loads. Finally, investigation of the aeroelastic effects of morphing aircraft and the control approach determined to facilitate shape control accuracy is required. 

We are pleased to announce this Special Issue on “Structures, Actuation, and Control of Morphing Systems” and kindly invite you to submit full research and review papers on the following topics: 

• Morphing aircraft/rotorcraft;
• Morphing wings;
• Morphing structures;
• Smart structures;
• Actuation;
• Aeroelasticity;
• Flight control.

Dr. Chen Wang
Prof. Dr. Michael I. Friswell
Dr. Jiaying Zhang
Guest Editors

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