Flight Control Using Wing-Tip Plasma Actuation

Abstract This paper investigates a novel method for the control of aircraft. The concept consists of articulated split wing-tips, independently actuated and mounted on a baseline flying wing. The general philosophy behind the concept was that adequate control of a flying wing about its three axes could be obtained through local modifications of the dihedral angle at the wing-tips, thus providing an alternative to conventional control effectors such as elevons and drag rudders. Preliminary computations with a vortex lattice model and subsequent wind tunnel tests and Navier-Stokes computations demonstrate the viability of the concept for co-ordinated turns, with individual and/or combined wing-tip deflections producing multi-axis, coupled control moments. The multi-axis nature of the generated moments tends to over-actuate the flight control system, leading to some redundancy, which could be exploited to optimise secondary objective functions such as drag or bending moment.

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An insect-inspired collapsible wing hinge dampens collision-induced body rotation rates in a microrobot

Journal of The Royal Society Interface ◽

10.1098/rsif.2018.0618 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (150) ◽

pp. 20180618 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Andrew M. Mountcastle ◽

E. Farrell Helbling ◽

Robert J. Wood

Keyword(s):

Flight Control ◽

Real World ◽

Micro Air Vehicles ◽

Body Rotation ◽

Rotation Rates ◽

Flying Insects ◽

Wing Damage ◽

Wing Wear ◽

Wing Tip ◽

Wing Stroke

Some flying insects frequently collide their wingtips with obstacles, and the next generation of insect-inspired micro air vehicles will inevitably face similar wing collision risks when they are deployed in real-world environments. Wasp wings feature a flexible resilin joint called a ‘costal break’ that allows the wingtip to reversibly collapse upon collision, helping to mitigate wing damage over repeated collisions. However, the costal break may provide additional benefits beyond reducing wing wear. We tested the hypothesis that a collapsible wing tip can also dampen sudden and unpredictable body rotations caused by collisions. We designed a wing buckle hinge for an insect-scale microrobot, inspired by the costal break in wasp wings, and performed wing collision tests in a yaw-based magnetic tether system. We found that a collapsible wing tip reduced collision-induced airframe yaw rates by approximately 40% compared to a stiff wing, and that the effect was most pronounced for collisions that occurred early in the wing stroke. Our results suggest that a collapsible wingtip may simplify flight control requirements in both insects and insect-scale microrobots. We also introduce a scalable hinge design for engineering applications that recreates the nonlinear strain-weakening behaviour of a costal break.

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Automation Surprise

Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors ◽

10.1027/2192-0923/a000113 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 28-41 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Robert J. de Boer ◽

Karel Hurts

Keyword(s):

Flight Control ◽

Representative Sample ◽

Aviation Safety ◽

Control Mode ◽

Cognitive Errors ◽

Laboratory Studies ◽

Airline Pilots ◽

Flight Operations ◽

Widespread Phenomenon ◽

Few Data

Abstract. Automation surprise (AS) has often been associated with aviation safety incidents. Although numerous laboratory studies have been conducted, few data are available from routine flight operations. A survey among a representative sample of 200 Dutch airline pilots was used to determine the prevalence of AS and the severity of its consequences, and to test some of the factors leading to AS. Results show that AS is a relatively widespread phenomenon that occurs three times per year per pilot on average but rarely has serious consequences. In less than 10% of the AS cases that were reviewed, an undesired aircraft state was induced. Reportable occurrences are estimated to occur only once every 1–3 years per pilot. Factors leading to a higher prevalence of AS include less flying experience, increasing complexity of the flight control mode, and flight duty periods of over 8 hr. It is concluded that AS is a manifestation of system and interface complexity rather than cognitive errors.

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