Projection moire interferometry measurements of micro air vehicle wings

A series of wind tunnel tests were conducted to investigate the benefits of flexible wings on micro air vehicle aerodynamic performance. Projection Moir Interferometry (PMI) was used to quantify the aero-loaded wing shape for three different wing constructions of varying flexibility. The measurements fully describe the aero-loaded wing shape for a range of tunnel free stream velocity and vehicle angle-of-attack. The deformation measurement accuracy has been shown to be nominally plus or minus 0.25 mm. Generalized comparisons between wings were provided by examining the wing total integrated deformation as a function of simulated flight condition. Using this metric, it was found that a 6-batten, monofilm covered wing deformed approximately 65 percent less than a 2-batten, latex covered wing. A rigid, composite wing tested showed no change in shape throughout the test matrix, proving the aerodynamic performance data collected with this wing can be used as a baseline for comparison with other flexible wing designs. The complete database of wing shape measurements is currently being prepared for input into computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models, enabling accurate modeling of the wing shape at each simulated flight condition tested.