Morphing Aerospace Vehicles and Structures provides a highly

timely presentation of the state-of-the-art, future directions

and technical requirements of morphing aircraft. Divided into

three sections it addresses morphing aircraft, bio-inspiration,

and smart structures with specific focus on the flight control,

aerodynamics, bio-mechanics, materials, and structures of these

vehicles as well as power requirements and the use of advanced

piezo materials and smart actuators. The tutorial approach

adopted by the contributors, including underlying concepts and

mathematical formulations, unifies the methodologies and tools

required to provide practicing engineers and applied researchers

with the insight to synthesize morphing air vehicles and morphing

structures, as well as offering direction for future research.



Series Preface

The field of aerospace is wide ranging and multi-disciplinary, covering a large variety of

products, disciplines and domains, not merely in engineering but in many related supporting

activities. These combine to enable the aerospace industry to produce exciting and technologically

advanced vehicles. The wealth of knowledge and experience that has been gained by

expert practitioners in the various aerospace fields needs to be passed onto others working in

the industry, including those just entering from University.



The Aerospace Series aims to be a practical and topical series of books aimed at engineering

professionals, operators, users and allied professions such as commercial and legal executives

in the aerospace industry. The range of topics is intended to be wide ranging, covering design

and development, manufacture, operation and support of aircraft as well as topics such as

infrastructure operations and developments in research and technology. The intention is to

provide a source of relevant information that will be of interest and benefit to all those people

working in aerospace.





There has been much interest world-wide in the development of morphing air-vehicles to

improve performance, and possibly change mission requirements in-flight, by enabling the

air-vehicle to adjust its external shape and structural/aerodynamic/control characteristics to

adapt to the changing flight environment. Many different concepts have been proposed, with

a few being demonstrated on a range of different prototype flying vehicles.



This book, Morphing Aerospace Vehicles and Structures, is the first textbook to provide an

overview of the current status of morphing air-vehicles, and to provide guidance as to likely

future directions in this exciting technology. Starting with the bio-inspired geometric changes

of insects, birds and bats that are the motivation for many morphing concepts, the book then

describes issues relating to the flight control and dynamics of morphing air-vehicles, and

also the application of smart materials and hierarchical control for morphing. It is a welcome

addition to the Wiley Aerospace Series.