Unsteady Numerical Simulation of Wing Deformation Using Body Surface Dynamic Mesh

Morphing aircraft, which are capable of adaptively changing their configurations in response to mission requirements and flight environments to achieve improved aerodynamic performance, have become an important direction in aircraft design. Since the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics during continuous wing morphing differ from those in corresponding quasi-steady states, evaluating dynamic aerodynamic effects during morphing is important. In this study, a surface-based dynamic mesh approach was developed based on a spring-analogy method to simulate continuous wing morphing processes. The method employed a surface-driven mesh motion strategy, in which prescribed analytical motion of surface nodes was propagated into the volume mesh without relying on global interpolation procedures. By coupling this approach with a CFD solver, unsteady simulations of a continuously stretching wing were performed. Numerical examples showed consistent results between moving-mesh and fixed-mesh simulations. Further simulations under subsonic, transonic, and supersonic conditions allowed analysis of aerodynamic responses during continuous morphing. The proposed approach provides a numerical framework for unsteady aerodynamic simulations involving continuous surface deformation.