On the experimental characterization of morphing structures

A major difficulty in the design of morphing devices for aircraft wings is to reach an adequate compromise between high load-carrying capacity to withstand aerodynamic loads and sufficient flexibility to achieve better aerodynamic performance. Such counteracting and demanding targets lead to an increased structural complexity whose experimental characterization is a matter of high priority prior to the ultimate physical integration into the aircraft structure. Compared to the passive counterpart, morphing devices enable augmented capabilities by locally adapting wing shape and lift distribution through either a quasistatic or dynamic deflection, with excursions ranging into a few units of degrees, positive and negative.This chapter provides an overview of the verification approaches suitable for morphing devices ranging from the basic concepts applicable to individual subsystems up to the global experimental analysis of the integrated system. A number of test objectives are illustrated at both component and system level, providing practical tips for the experimental analysis of morphing structures combining both compliant structural systems and multibox self-contained actuation mechanisms.