Flight mechanics of a tailless articulated wing aircraft

Abstract

This paper explores the flight mechanics of a Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) without a vertical tail. The key to stability and control of such an aircraft lies in the ability to control the twist and dihedral angles of both wings independently. Specifically, asymmetric dihedral can be used to control yaw whereas antisymmetric twist can be used to control roll. It has been demonstrated that wing dihedral angles can regulate sideslip and speed during a turn maneuver. The role of wing dihedral in the aircraft's longitudinal performance has been explored. It has been shown that dihedral angle can be varied symmetrically to achieve limited control over aircraft speed even as the angle of attack and flight path angle are varied. A rapid descent and perching maneuver has been used to illustrate the longitudinal agility of the aircraft. This paper lays part of the foundation for the design and stability analysis of an agile flapping wing aircraft capable of performing rapid maneuvers while gliding in a constrained environment.drag, lift and side force J R,R , J L,R moment of inertia tensor of the right and left wings respectively, in their respective wing root frames J R , J L , J moment of inertia tensor of the right and left wings, and the aircraft body respectively, in the aircraft body frame m w,R , m w,L mass of the right and left wings, respectively m total mass of the aircraft p, q, r body axis roll, pitch and yaw rates r CG

Dynamics and Performance of Tailless Micro Aerial Vehicle with Flexible Articulated Wings

“…This paper significantly extends the recent results of [1], which investigated the performance, stability, and controllability of a tailless aircraft with rigid articulated wings. Birds are natural role models for designing tailless MAVs, wherein the aforementioned attributes can be engineered.…”

“…Tran and Lind [7] examined the stability of a flexible wing aircraft for various wing deflection configurations. Paranjape et al [1] derived a flight dynamic model of articulated wing aircraft and used bifurcation and continuation methods to study the benefits and limitations of wing articulation for yaw control (Fig. 2 shows how the wing dihedral angles can be used for control).…”

“…Baghdadi et al [18] used bifurcation analysis to study Fig. 2 A schematic depicting the use of wing dihedral for longitudinal and yaw control [1].…”

“…Broadly, the present paper is meant to be a sequel to [1]. Unlike the prior work referenced previously, the present paper is concerned with the stability as well as performance of an MAV with flexible articulated wings.…”

“…The objective is to explain the underlying physics to lay the foundation for a sound control design. Toward that objective, select performance metrics and stability of the MAV in [1] are compared with those of a similar MAVequipped with flexible wings. The purpose of this exercise is twofold.…”