High-aspect-ratio wings, with the inherent nature of maximizing the lift-to-drag ratio, have been widely employed in modern airplanes. However, highly flexibility wing structure renders previous rigid model in aerodynamic simulation and ideal aerodynamic force distribution in structural simulation meet serious challenges. In this article, a high fidelity aero-structural coupled method is employed to better evaluating the deformation of a high-aspect-ratio wing. Summarily, this method takes into consideration the aerodynamic redistribution and the geometrical nonlinearity caused by large deformation of the wing, and the deflection calculated using coupled method is approximately 20% more than traditional unidirectional method, providing a more accurate model for structural design and optimization.
High-fidelity Aerostructural Optimization of a High Aspect Ratio Tow-steered Wing