A review of morphing concepts with a strong focus on morphing skins is presented. Morphing technology on aircraft has found increased interest over the last decade because it is likely to enhance performance and efficiency over a wider range of flight conditions. For example, a radical change in configuration, i.e. wing geometry in flight may improve overall flight performance when cruise and dash are important considerations. Although many morphing aircraft concepts have been elaborated only a few deal with the problems relating to a smooth and continuous cover that simultaneously deforms and carries loads. It is found that anisotropic and variable stiffness structures offer potential for shape change and small area increase on aircraft wings. Concepts herein focus on those structures where primary loads are transmitted in the spanwise direction and a morphing function is achieved via chordwise flexibility. To meet desirable shape changes, stiffnesses can either be tailored or actively controlled to guarantee flexibility in the chordwise (or spanwise) direction with tailored actuation forces. Hence, corrugated structures, segmented structures, reinforced elastomers or flexible matrix composite tubes embedded in a low modulus membrane are all possible structures for morphing skins. For large wing area changes a particularly attractive solution could adopt deployable structures as no internal stresses are generated when their surface area is increased.

The steady two-dimensional flow of viscous incompressible fluid in the boundary layer along a solid boundary, which is governed by Prandtl's approximation to the full equations of motion, presents a problem which in general is as intractable as any in applied mathematics. The problem, however, has such an immediate and necessary application that approximate methods of varying accuracy which go beyond the formal processes of expansions in series and so on, have been devised for the rapid calculation of the principal characteristics of the laminar boundary-layer, the variation of pressure along the surface being known. Such methods usually represent approximately the boundary-layer velocity distribution at any point by one of a known family of distributions whose spacing along the surface is determined by some means, often by the use of Kármán's momentum equation.

The intention of this paper is to point out certain aerodynamic problems that may be of future interest, by trying to argue in general terms about their possible context. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of any project analysis of a vehicle designed to carry a man into an orbit in space and return him safely to the ground, is the need to limit the accelerations and retardations of his passage, and the temperature of his environment. There are of course innumerable other considerations which have to do with his comfort and safety, but it is his inability to withstand excessive heat or high g which distinguishes man from more rugged but less versatile instruments.

A simple method of determining local turbulent skin friction on a smooth surface has been developed which utilises a round pitot tube resting on the surface. Assuming the existence of a region near the surface in which conditions are functions only of the skin friction, the relevant physical constants of the fluid and a suitable length, a universal non-dimensional relation is obtained for the difference between the total pressure recorded by the tube and the static pressure at the wall, in terms of the skin friction. This relation, on this assumption, is independent of the pressure gradient. The truth and form of the relation were first established, to a considerable degree of accuracy, in a pipe using four geometrically similar round pitot tubes—the diameter being taken as representative length. These four pitot tubes were then used to determine the local skin friction coefficient at three stations on a wind tunnel wall, under varying conditions of pressure gradient. At each station, within the limits of experimental accuracy, the deduced skin friction coefficient was found to be the same for each pitot tube, thus confirming the basic assumption and leaving little doubt as to the correctness of the skin friction so found. Pitot traverses were then made in the pipe and in the boundary layer on the wind tunnel wall. The results were plotted in two non-dimensional forms on the basis already suggested and they fell close together in a region whose outer limit represented the breakdown of the basic assumption, but close to the wall the results spread out, due to the unknown displacement of the effective centre of a pitot tube near a wall. This again provides further evidence of the existence of a region of local dynamical similarity and of the correctness of the skin friction deduced from measurements with round pitot tubes on the wind tunnel wall. The extent of the region in which the local dynamical similarity may be expected to hold appears to vary from about 1/5 to 1/20 of the boundary-layer thickness for conditions remote from, and close to, separation respectively.

Measurements are presented of the base pressure coefficient, drag coefficient and Strouhal number of rectangular cylinders. The results confirm a finding in Japan that the drag coefficient rises to nearly 3 when the depth of the section is just over half the width. The flow around the sections is found to be strongly influenced by the presence of the trailing-edge corners.

Further details are given of a recently developed triangular equilibrium element which is then applied, in conjunction with the complementary energy principle, to the finite element analysis of some plate bending problems. The element is demonstrated to have a straightforward and satisfactory application and to possess advantages over the conventional triangular displacement element.

A wind tunnel technique has been developed to measure the aerodynamic forces acting on golf balls over a wide range of Reynolds number and spin rate. Balls with round dimples and hexagonal dimples have been investigated. The dimples are found to induce a critical Reynolds number behaviour at a lower value of Reynolds number than that experienced by a smooth sphere and beyond this point, unlike the behaviour of a sand-roughened sphere, there is little dependence of the forces on further increases in Reynolds number. A hexagonally-dimpled ball has a higher lift coefficient and a slightly lower drag coefficient than a conventional round-dimpled ball. Trajectories are calculated using the aerodynamic data and the ranges are compared with data obtained from a driving machine on a golf course.

The problem of impact damage in laminated composite structures, and the consequent reduction in residual strength, has been a topic of continual research for over two decades. The number of journal papers on the subject now runs into four figures and most have been conscientiously reviewed by Abrate(1991, 1994, 1998). This review is not intended to be in the academic tradition, with emphasis on acknowledging the authorship of all the various research initiatives. Instead we present our opinions so that the reader can appreciate our current understanding of the problem, our capability of predicting by analysis, and the scope of the design tools for avoiding structural damage, or at least designing damage tolerant aerospace structures.

The analytical construction of displacement functions for plate elements subject to bending was discussed at some length in ref. 1. Attention was thereby drawn to both triangular and quadrilateral elements available in the ASKA system, which satisfy either all kinematic compatibility conditions or are deficient in the continuity of the gradient normal to the edge. The most rudimentary elements of the triangular set consist of the so-called fully compatible TRIB 3C and the TRIB 3, which satisfies the slope condition only at the vertices. The TRIB 3C corresponds in principle, but not in detail, to the element evolved by Bazeley et al but allows, however, also for linear taper.

It is possible to trace, in the flying equipment of birds, feathered versions of many of the refinements that render the modern aeroplane more efficient than its predecessors. It would, therefore, be a mistake to ignore birds as a guide to possible future developments. One of the most interesting groups of birds is that which includes all the owls, for there is a possible connection between the manner in which their strikingly silent flight is achieved and the increasingly pressing problem of silencing airscrews.

A design-oriented model for the unsteady aerodynamics of a flapping wing has been developed using a modified strip theory approach. Within this constraint, vortex-wake effects are accounted for as well as partial leading edge suction and post stall behaviour. Also, the contributions of sectional mean angle of attack, camber, and friction drag are added, which allows this model to be used for the calculation of the average lift, as well as the thrust, power required, and propulsive efficiency of a flapping wing in equilibrium flight. An example of such calculations is presented in the performance prediction of a mechanical flying pterosaur replica.

The flow in a two-dimensional channel with porous walls through which fluid is uniformly injected or extracted is considered. Following Berman, a solution is obtained giving a fourth-order non-linear differential equation which depends on a suction Reynolds number R. Numerical solutions of this equation have been obtained. Series solutions of this equation for small and large Reynolds number are given and are shown to give good agreement with the numerical solutions.

The effects of base bleed on the flow about a two-dimensional model with a blunt trailing edge were examined at Reynolds numbers, based on model base height, between 1·3×104 and 4·1×104. The ratio of boundary layer thickness at the trailing edge to half the model base height was approximately 0·4. Measurements were made of base pressure, vortex shedding frequency and the distance to vortex formation. With a sufficiently large bleed quantity the regular vortex street pattern disappeared and the base drag of the section was reduced to about a third of its value without bleed. The base pressure was found to vary linearly with the inverse of the vortex formation distance. Results of a previous splitter plate investigation were found to agree closely with those of the present experiments.

Schlieren photographs of a small scale approximately two-dimensional air jet in air above the critical pressure have shown the existence of an instability displaying an anti-symmetric pattern, and the associated sound field having several distinguishing characteristics, has been photographed. An elementary theory based upon the hypothesis that the acoustic energy originates from the interaction of the stream disturbances with the shock waves of the flow, and connecting the stream disturbances with the radiated sound, is suggested. This is shown to be consistent with the physical dimensions of the phenomenon and predicts a sound field in reasonable agreement with that observed after certain simplifying assumptions have been made.

Even with today’s computers, a wind tunnel is an essential tool in engineering, both for model tests and basic research. Since the 1930s, when the strong effect of free-stream turbulence on shear layers became apparent, emphasis has been laid on wind tunnels with low levels of turbulence and unsteadiness. Consequently most high performance wind tunnels were designed as closed-circuit types (Fig. 1(a)) to ensure a controlled return flow. However, as will be seen below, it is possible with care to achieve high performance from an open-circuit tunnel, thus saving space and construction cost. ‘Blower’ tunnels (with the fan at entry to the tunnel, Fig. 1(b)) facilitate large changes in working section arrangements; to cope with the resulting large changes in operating conditions, a centrifugal fan is preferable to an axial one. For ease of changing working sections the exit diffuser is often omitted from small blower tunnels, at the cost of a power factor greater than unity. This paper concentrates on the design of small blower tunnels but most of the information is applicable to wind tunnels in general.

The transition behaviour of the boundary layer which is formed along an infinite swept attachment line has been studied experimentally. Circular trip wires and turbulent flat plate boundary layers have been used as sources of disturbance and the range of parameters covered has been such that the results are directly applicable to full scale flight conditions. Simple criteria have been deduced which allow the state of the boundary layer to be determined for given geometric and free stream properties. Sample calculations for typical swept wing configurations suggest that the majority of civil aircraft will have turbulent attachment lines in the cruise and that subsequent relaminarisation in regions of favourable pressure gradient is unlikely.

The NASA tetrahedral unstructured software system (TetrUSS) was developed during the 1990s to provide a rapid aerodynamic analysis and design capability to applied aerodynamicists. The system comprises of loosely integrated, user-friendly software that enables the application of advanced Euler and Navier-Stokes tetrahedral finite volume technology to complex aerodynamic problems. TetrUSS has matured well because of the generous feedback from many willing users representing a broad cross-section of background and skill levels. This paper presents an overview of the current capabilities of the TetrUSS system along with some representative results from selected applications.

As part of a general investigation into Coanda effect, a study has been made of the reattachment of a two-dimensional, incompressible, turbulent jet to an adjacent, inclined, flat plate. The jet separates from the boundaries at the slot lips and reattaches to the plate downstream, a phenomenon which is associated with the lowering of the pressure between the jet and the plate accompanying the entrainment of fluid there. It is found that the flow becomes independent of both the length of the plate and the Reynolds number when these parameters are sufficiently large: the flow, scaled with respect to the width of the slot, is then uniquely determined by the plate inclination. Two approximate theories are developed for the mean pressure within the separation bubble, the position of reattachment and the increase in volume flow from the slot: the agreement with experiment is fairly satisfactory. These theories are a development of Dodds's analysis for the reattachment of a jet to a plate offset from, and parallel to, the axis of the slot and, for the purpose of comparison, a limited study is also made of this flow.

The growth of a line vortex with time and the spread of a trailing vortex behind a wing due to turbulence are considered. It is shown that the eddy viscosity for this type of motion may be taken to be proportional to the circulation round the vortex and the solution is then similar to the solution for the growth of a vortex in laminar flow. The method is applied to calculate the distance behind a wing for which the trailing vortices will touch one another.

An old numerical method of solving fourth order differential equations is put in relaxation form. The higher order correction terms are included and the technique is illustrated by an example. The method has the advantage of being more rapidly convergent than the usual relaxation procedure for fourth order equations. Some comments are made on the numerical solution of the viscous flow equation.