Developing tools for assessing the Fluid Structure Interaction of Passive Adaptive Composite foils

The study presents an experimental and numerical evaluation of bend-twist elastic coupling in composite passive-adaptive structures. Due to the lack of experimental validation in Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) investigations, a full-field deformation of an aerofoil-shaped section under wind loading is measured. The experimental analysis is carried out at the University of Southampton 3.5 m × 2.4 m R. J. Mitchell wind tunnel using full-field non-contact measurement techniques such as high speed three dimensional Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). After assessing the validity and repeatability of the experiments, the study focuses on the development of a numerical FSI investigation that involves the use of a structural and a fluid solver to simulate the aero-elastic behaviour of composite tailored structures with different lay-up arrangements. The numerical analysis is developed as a design tool to allow the structure investigated to maximise bend-twist coupling under increased aerodynamic loading.