Highly Extensible Skin of a Shape-variable Wing Leading Edge of a High-Perfomance Sailplane

In 2011 the Akaflieg München e.V. began research on a shape-variable wing of a sailplane. The advantage of a leading edge with a variable camber was investigated on the basis of the ASW 27 airfoil. The results show a great potential of achieving a higher wing loading and a higher cruising speed along with excellent low-speed flight characteristics. Subsequently, different designs of the technical implementation of a shape-variable wing leading edge are considered. This paper presents the results of a study whose principal aim is to design and analyse a highly extensible section of a shape-variable wing leading edge. This section is designed as a sandwich, composed of an accordion honeycomb core with silicone top layers. It has a high bending stiffness as well as a high extensibility in one direction, allowing for the wing leading edge to warp downward.     «

In 2011 the Akaflieg München e.V. began research on a shape-variable wing of a sailplane. The advantage of a leading edge with a variable camber was investigated on the basis of the ASW 27 airfoil. The results show a great potential of achieving a higher wing loading and a higher cruising speed along with excellent low-speed flight characteristics. Subsequently, different designs of the technical implementation of a shape-variable wing leading edge are considered. This paper presents the result...     »