Design of Composite Control Surfaces for Tailored Deformation Using Fluid Structure Interactions

In order to take full advantage of the lightweight characteristics of composite materials, design often needs to sacrifice stiffness and exploit the more favourable strength. However, this approach leads to structures that deform significantly under load. This paper outlines a numerical methodology which demonstrates control of the inherent flexible characteristics of composite structures to achieve a desired deformation response. An examination of the sensitivity of the structural response was conducted by asymmetrically varying the ply angles in a number of composite layers within the model. The results indicate that the layers in the skin have a large influence on the development of bend-twist coupling in the control surface. The research culminates in an examination of composite architecture options which result in specific levels of bend and induced twist deformation. This approach clearly shows that one can control the coupled deformation response and that this may have beneficial performance implications.