Deformation Analysis of Coated Aircraft Wing Using Fluid–Structure Interface

Aeroelastic deformation in aircraft wings needs to be minimized to preserve both aerodynamic efficiency and structural integrity. This paper examines the potential benefits of applying high-modulus surface coatings to improve the aeroelastic response of a NACA 64(2)-215 semispan wing through an aeroelastic tailoring approach. To do this, a coupled fluid–structure interaction (FSI) framework was developed in ANSYS Workbench that couples steady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes aerodynamics with a linear elastic structural model. The effect of three different coating materials (titanium nitride, chromium nitride, and tantalum carbide at different thicknesses) on the overall structural response of each coated wing was evaluated. The results show that the addition of high-stiffness coatings substantially increases structural rigidity, with 23 of the 58 tests indicating that the coated configuration produced up to 45% lower deflections than the uncoated configuration. The analyses conducted within the FSI framework also show an approximate 7% improvement in the accuracy of the model predictions when using two-way FSI coupling rather than the one-way FSI coupling method. Parametrically varying the coating thickness revealed diminishing returns in deflection improvements after coating thicknesses equivalent to 4–6 mm, which suggests that there is an optimal stiffness regime for the coating material. Additionally, the simpler aerodynamic model indicated marginal improvements in lift-to-drag ratio and a slight delay in stall for the coated wing configurations. While thermal effects were not explicitly modeled, the thermophysical properties of the coatings indicate that they may provide additional benefits at elevated temperatures.