Design and flight test of the fixed-flapping hybrid morphing wing aerial vehicle

Bionic aircrafts have become a hot topic in the research on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). By mimicking the flight mechanics and wing morphology of living organisms, bionic aircraft not only improve aerodynamic performance, stealth, and convenience but also enable single aircraft to complete multiple specific tasks. To further improve the practical performance of bionic aircraft, a fixed-flapping hybrid morphing wing aerial vehicle (F-FWAV) is designed, and the aerodynamic and flight mechanics are studied. First, kinematic simulations are conducted on the designed F-FWAV, and the kinematic characteristics of the flapping wing are analyzed. Then, flight tests are conducted on the aircraft model, and time-domain and frequency-domain analyses were performed on the data of the pitch angle and roll angle during level flight, high angle of attack (AOA) maneuvering and landing, indicating that the pitch and roll angles of the F-FWAV are coupled. CFD numerical simulations are used to obtain the cruise points of the F-FWAV under different AOAs, frequencies, and freestream velocities. The results of the mutual interference between the fixed wing and flapping wing sections show that the flapping wing section provides more than 50 % of the lift of the entire flight process, and the downward flapping movement of the flapping wing section increases the edge vortex of the fixed wing section, thereby increasing the lift of the fixed wing section.