Aeroservoelastic flight testing platform development for system identification

Abstract

TUD) have obtained an unmanned aerial vehicle to serve as a test platform for future aeroservoelastic flight testing. The purpose of this testbed is to collect data about flexible aircraft flight dynamic responses and loads on the aircraft at unsteady airflow conditions for flexible aircraft system identification. An overview of the 1:3 scaled Diana 2 glider is presented together with numerous tests that were conducted to characterise the test platform. Moment of inertia of the aircraft was determined using a pendulum and rotational swing setup, control surface dynamics were identified from sine sweeps and the structural modes and frequencies were obtained from a ground vibration test. Finally, a low cost and modular data acquisition system was built to collect all the sensor measurements. This data acquisition system is presented together with an overview of its performance.

Real-Time Ground Aeroservoelastic Test for Slender Vehicles Based on Condensed Aerodynamic Force Loading

“…Taking three shakers as an example, the schematic diagram of the force controller is depicted in Figure 3. The transfer function relationship of the shakerstructure-coupled system can be expressed as follows: (11) applied to the test model are subject to a specific transfer relationship, which is influenced by the dynamic characteristics of both the shaker and the test model.…”

“…Due to inherent limitations such as wind tunnel wall interference, significant differences in Reynolds numbers compared to actual flight conditions, and disturbances from support structures (which have a significant impact when the mode frequency of the aircraft is low [9]), the dynamic response of a model in the wind tunnel may differ from the actual response of the aircraft in flight conditions. Flight tests [10,11] represent the final stage in aircraft design but involve high costs, significant risks, and long cycles. While flight tests use real objects and aerodynamics, they carry substantial risks, including potential dynamic instability leading to aircraft disintegration [12].…”

Flight path reconstruction filter extension for tracking flexible aircraft modal amplitudes and velocities

“…For flight testing the glider is instrumented with numerous sensors placed across the entire aircraft. These included inertial measurement units (IMUs), strain gauges, GPS sensor, a 5-hole aeroprobe and other sensors as presented in [15]. An overview of the sensors used by the filter and their locations are presented in Fig.…”