Investigation of Multi-Material Laminates for Smart Droop Nose Devices

Abstract

For the application of laminar flow at commercial aircraft wings the high-lift devices at the leading edge play a major role. Since conventional leading edge devices like slats do not comply with the high surface quality requirements needed for laminar flow, alternative concepts must be developed. Besides the conventional Krueger device which provides laminar flow on the upper side of the airfoil and an insect shielding functionality, smart droop nose devices are currently being investigated. However, the research on such morphing devices which can deform to a given target shape and provide a smooth, high-quality surface has to give answers to questions of fundamental industrial requirements like erosion protection, anti/de-icing, lightning strike protection and bird strike protection. The integration of these functionalities into a given baseline-design of a morphing structure is a key challenge for the application of such devices in the future. This paper focuses on the design drivers, interdependencies and effects of the integration of the mentioned functionalities into a smart droop nose device.