ANALYSIS OF THE AERODYNAMICALLY DEPLOYABLE WINGS AND PAYLOAD SUPPORT STRUCTURE OF THE MONO TILTROTOR

Abstract

The Mono Tiltrotor (MTR) is a new VTOL concept, proposed to meet heavy lift rotorcraft requirements. The premise of the MTR is a tilting coaxial rotor system for lifting and propulsion, along with aerodynamically deployable fixed-wings for long-range cruise. The symmetric and controlled self-deployment of these wings is a critical design feature of the MTR concept. To this end, a mathematical model was developed to predict the optimal wing hinge geometry to obtain satisfactory wing deployment. The wing hinge design was then used to design and build a functional model that was tested in the University of Maryland's Glenn L. Martin wind tunnel. The measurements showed that with suitable design features, the symmetric and controlled deployment of the wings is possible using aerodynamic means alone. The mathematical model was then validated against measured wind tunnel data. A Finite Element Methods analysis of the suspended payload support structure was also developed.