ShiftWing
2018-01-01
This pliable profile wing project called ShiftWing is an innovative project allowing the modification of an aircraft's lift without using conventional flaps. In addition to developing the wing, our teams are also building and perfecting a wind tunnel in order to be able to test our prototypes in optimal conditions.
Two project managers were responsible for distributing the tasks between the theoretical study and the practical creation of the project, making use of the skills of each because this project called on many disciplines taught within Sorbonne University such as fluid and solid mechanics, physics, mathematics, computer science, electronics… Students could thus use their theoretical knowledge to carry out a concrete project.
A first wind tunnel was built, allowing us to test four different wing prototypes: a classic flap wing, a wing equipped with sensors to plot the differences in pressure, a wing whose profile is partly deformable, and, finally, a more efficient and lighter wing whose profile is pliable. These tests highlighted the potential of such a project and allowed us to see the shortcomings of our hardware configuration, which we are working on improving.
To obtain more precise results, we have started building a more efficient wind tunnel; allowing us to achieve a faster airflow, close to that of professional wind tunnels, and will contain more efficient sensors. We are making sure to increase the precision of our measurements in order to be able to do effective optimization work. Input from each of the team members has allowed us to come up with other wing designs, some still on paper but others already under construction.
Winner of the 2nd Medal at the Engineering Science Olympiad when it was presented in 2018 by its initiator (who currently leads the team in question within Top Aéro), this innovative project, spotted by officials from the aerodynamics department of Airbus could, if well managed, contribute to the image of Sorbonne University not only as a center of education but also as a center of research, creation, and innovation.