Integration of the passive energy balancing based actuation system into a camber morphing design

A spiral pulley mechanism can be used to passively balance the energy between the morphing structure and actuation system. Applying the energy balancing concept has the potential to improve the performance of the actuation system by reducing the external energy consumption. In the current study, the integration workflow for the passive energy balancing device is established and is adopted in a variable camber morphing wing. The design variables of the passive energy balancing system are optimised and the effects of the different parameters are discussed together with the adaptability of the passive energy balancing device when the load stiffness changes. An integrated demonstrator was also built to validate the mechanism by measuring the currents in the process of morphing actuation.