An aircraft is designed to withstand a variety of load scenarios, including gust loads that exceed several g-loads. These loads influence the design and thickness of the carrying structure of the wing box, with the wing root being the most critical point. By reshaping the wing load distribution, it is possible to reduce the bending moment at the wing root, which can subsequently decrease the thickness of the carrying structure and, therefore, the overall mass of the wing. To effectively reshape the aerodynamic forces, the structure must adapt its flight shape and achieve favorable deformations. The goal is to reduce the angle of attack at the outer wing section, which results from bending and torsion under load. The SE²A Cluster project, HyCoNoS, investigates nonconventional passive load alleviation concepts, particularly the use of large deformations for shape adaptation. However, shape adaptation is limited by the properties of the materials used. At this stage, we are transitioning away from traditional materials and focusing on metamaterials to achieve the desired behavior.
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