Boeing X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing
X-53 | |
---|---|
X-53 configured F/A-18 | |
Role | Technology Demonstrator
|
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | McDonnell Douglas Northrop Corporation Boeing |
First flight | 15 November 2002 |
Primary user | NASA |
Number built | 1 |
Developed from | McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet |
The X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) development program is a completed
Development
Development of the initial concept was done with wind-tunnel testing in the mid 1980s under Air Force contract.
The pre-production version of the F/A-18 was an ideal aircraft for proving AAW technology, a relatively high wing aspect ratio for a fighter, with adequate strength, but no additional stiffness needed to be added to change its twisting behaviour. The X-53 F/A-18 was modified to allow two leading edge control surfaces to work together with its two trailing edge surfaces to control wing aeroelastic twist and provide excellent high speed rolling performance.
AAW was developed from the knowledge that the
If the controls can be used to eliminate the twisting and its negative effects on control input, the next step is to deliberately introduce some twisting which adds to the effect of the control deflection. When applied correctly, the wing will twist less and in an opposite direction to a conventional wing during maneuvering.[3] So this change, which can be accomplished in software, benefits overall performance.
Flight testing
To test the AAW theory, NASA and the USAF agreed to fund development of a single demonstrator, based on the F/A-18. Work started by taking an existing F/A-18 airframe modified with a preproduction wing, and added an outboard leading edge flap drive system and an updated flight control computer. Active aeroelastic wing control laws were developed to flex the wing, and flight instrumentation was used to accurately measure the aeroelastic performance of the
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Wingspan: 38 ft 5 in (11.71 m)
- Height: 15 ft 3 in (4.65 m)
- Max takeoff weight: 39,000 lb (17,690 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F404-GE-400low-bypass turbofan engines, 16,000 lbf (71 kN) thrust each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,188 mph (1,912 km/h, 1,032 kn)
- Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
Avionics
The leading edge flap drive system was modified at
See also
- Adaptive compliant wing
- Aeroelasticity
- Aeroelastic wing on the Grumman X-29
- High Alpha Research Vehicle
- Parker variable wing
References
- Footnotes
- ^ a b Jordan, Holly (2006-12-11). "Active Aeroelastic Wing flight research vehicle receives X-53 designation". Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05.
- ^ Pendleton, E., Griffin, K., Kehoe, M., and Perry, B., "A Flight Research Program for Active Aeroelastic Wing Technology ," Paper 96-1574, Proceedings of the 37th AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, 15–17 April 1996.
- ^ Active Aeroelastic Wing Archived 18 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Boeing F/A-18 with Active Aeroelastic Wing Completes First Flight". Boeing. 18 November 2002. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
- ^ NASA F/A-18 Active Aeroelastic Wing Fact Sheet
Further reading
- Miller, G.D., Active Flexible Wing (AFW) Technology, Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories TR-87-3096, February, 1988.
- Miller, G.D., AFW Design Methodology Study, Rockwell-Aerospace Report No. NA 94-1731, December 1994.
- Pendleton, E., Griffin, K., Kehoe, M., and Perry, B., "A Flight Research Program for Active Aeroelastic Wing Technology", Paper 96-1574, Proceedings of the 37th AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, 15–17 April 1996.
- Zillmer, S., "Integrated Multidisciplinary Optimization for Aeroelastic Wing Design", Wright Laboratory TR-97-3087, August 1997.
- Zillmer, S., Integrated Structure/Maneuver Design Procedure for Active Aeroelastic Wings, User's Manual, Wright Laboratory TR-97-3087, March 1997.
- Pendleton, E., Bessette, D., Field P., Miller, G., and Griffin, K., "Active Aeroelastic Wing Flight Research Program: Technical Program & Model Analytical Development", Journal of Aircraft, Volume 37, Number 4, July–August 2000.
- Pendleton, E., " Active Aeroelastic Wing", AFRL Technology Horizons, Selected Science and Technology Articles, Vol. 1, No. 2, June 2000.
- Edmund W. Pendleton, "How Active Aeroelastic Wings are a Return to Aviation's Beginning and a Small Step to Future Bird-like Wings", Invited Paper, Japan Society of Aeronautical and Space Sciences Aircraft Symposium, Sendai, Japan, 11 October 2000.
- The Boeing Company, The Active Aeroelastic Wing Flight Research Program (The X-53) Final Report, Volume 1 and II, AFRL-VA-WP-TR-2005-3082, October 2005.
- Pendleton, E., Flick, P., Voracek, D., Reichenbach, E., Griffin, K., Paul, D., "The X-53: A Summary of the Active Aeroelastic Wing Flight Research Program", Paper 07-1855, Proceedings of the 48th AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, 23–26 April 2007.
External links
- Cole, William (May 2002). "Technology that enables wing 'warping' rolled out at Dryden, Boeing". Boeing Frontiers.
- Boeing Active Aeroelastic Wing page
- AAW NASA gallery
- Boeing X-53 (2006): Active Aeroelastic Wing Aviation Week & Space Technology