Design and Characterization of Shape-Morphing Airfoil Using MFC Actuator for Low Reynolds Active Flow Control System

The development of active flow control (AFC) devices designed for low Reynolds number flows has gained significant interest due to advancements in technological applications such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs), and wind turbines. Under these flow conditions, conventional wing or blade designs experience a decrease in performance, which has led to the development of several AFC methodologies to counteract this effect, with shape-morphing systems based on MFC actuators gaining importance in the past decade. The concept is to control the shape of the airfoil, dynamically altering its curvature at specific frequencies to induce the desired changes in the flow field. Achieving this requires overcoming several challenges, including the implementation of a system capable of bending the airfoil to the desired shape, with the appropriate frequency response, small dimensions, low weight, and low power consumption. For these reasons, this work focuses on the design, building, and characterization of a shape-morphing system for an aerodynamic airfoil, intended for application in AFC. It addresses the challenges related to these aspects and the integration of the system, proposing and analyzing different designs and their behavior under both static and dynamic actuation. This is followed by the experimental characterization of the MFC actuators and the built airfoil models, concluding with flow visualization tests aimed at identifying the AFC aerodynamic phenomena.