Refining the aerodynamic moment of the missile based on flight test results

This research paper is intended to refine the aerodynamic moment of the missile based on an analysis of flight tests and results of gas dynamics software computations. The paper compares mathematical simulation results with flight test data in order to demonstrate an improved convergence due to the proposed refinement.

Using of the SPSA method to improve the accuracy of the UAV following a given route under the action of wind loads

In the modern world, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are increasingly used in everyday life in solving civilian tasks. One of the main applications of UAVs is data collection with their reference to a given coordinate system. For example, for the task of aerial photography, it is necessary to accurately link each image to the global coordinate system. In addition to the exact location of coordinates, it is worth the exact movement of a given route, to collect data of exactly those places that are needed. Thus, it is very important to ensure the minimum deviation of the UAV from the given route under the conditions of external disturbances (wind disturbances) acting on it. The article describes a procedure for assessing wind speed and direction for a UAV control system using the SPSA method. The simulation results of the algorithm operation, confirmed during flight tests on an ultralight UAV with an ardupilot autopilot, are presented.

Numerical analysis of the support platform for an unmanned aerial vehicle

The study investigates a thin-walled support platform for an unmanned aerial vehicle, i.e. aluminum beams connected by flat bars and angle irons. The construction is a kind of frame for a propulsion unit of the designed aircraft which is a combination of a multi-copter and a gyrocopter. This construction was tested for various load patterns to investigate the stresses and strains its profiles are connected. The load patterns correspond to different operation modes of the propulsion system, and the finite element method (FEM) and the SolidWorks software were used for the numerical calculations. The research was done for elastic operation of the individual components of the support platform. The analysis enabled to verify the state of stresses on the critical spots of the construction and to develop a construction for ground and flight tests to verify the correct operation of the propulsion control system and optimize its operation in different flight states.

Using the Telemetry System as an Element of the Engine Operation Monitoring System of UAS

The article presents an engineering approach that allows us to collect engine operation characteristics using built-in telemetry mechanisms, filled with the passive recording system. As a result of the development of the solution, the characteristics of the engine operation were obtained under real conditions, and the universal registration tool was built with a wider application than simply the registration of the engine operating parameters. The development of the solution allowed measurements to be obtained in a passive mode using a distributed architecture for engine monitoring and engine operation characteristics, which would be difficult to obtain and archive without logger production, especially during flight tests.

Research on High-Temperature Cooling Flight Test Technology of a Certain Type of Civil Aircraft Generator

The high-temperature special flight test is one of the important special meteorological flight tests for civil aircraft airworthiness certification flight test, and generator high-temperature cooling flight test is also very important as the key flight test subject of high-temperature special flight test. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and study the airworthiness background, technical research, technical preparation, technical implementation, and data analysis results of a certain type of civil aircraft generator high-temperature cooling flight test, to provide guidance and help for subsequent civil aircraft generator high-temperature cooling flight test.

Psychophysiological and ergonomic aspects of visual image perception formed by technical vision means

The subject of research is establishing psychophysiological regularities of technical (instrumental) means for representing the out-of-cockpit space and objects for solving the problems of piloting and spatial orientation used by flight personnel. In flight tests carried out on helicopters equipped with optical-television and thermal television systems, scientific data are obtained, indicating the regulatory influence of pilots’ spatial orientation image on the piloting efficiency and safety. The psychophysiological possibilities and limitations of using technical vision aids are established, and ergonomic requirements for their technical characteristics are formed. The research results provided the basis for making technical specifications for helicopters of a new generation, and can be useful in designing the information field of aircraft for various purposes.

ДОСВІД І ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ФОРМУВАННЯ МАСОВИХ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИК МОДИФІКАЦІЙ ВАЖКОГО ТРАНСПОРТНОГО ЛІТАКА

Heavy transport aircraft are built and operated by US airlines (C-5A, C-5B, B-747-400), the European Concern Airbus (A-380), and the ANTONOV domestic state-owned enterprise. Such heavy aircraft as An-22, An-124 and An-225 have received worldwide recognition as the most efficient in their class [1, 2, 3]. It should be noted that such outstanding compatriots as O. K. Antonov, P. V. Balabuev, S. A. Bychkov, V. I. Tolmachev, V.F.Eroshin, O.K.Bogdanov made a decisive contribution to their improvement (including formation of mass characteristics).The main path of development of domestic heavy transport aircraft is to create modifications that meet the ever-increasing requirements of the time and customers to improve their transport and economic performance.The article shows that one of the ways to improve this type aircraft efficiency is the formation of their mass characteristics (i.e., mass of the aircraft modification itself and its individual units), which significantly affect all flight technical and economic parameters.It is proposed to take into account possible changes in four groups of parameters when assessing the starting mass (formed at the initial stages of creating a modification):T - a group of parameters that determine the level of requirements for a new modification;U - a group of parameters that determine the achievement of the stated goals at the stages of creation and operation of the modification;O - a group of parameters that determine the appearance of the future modification;P - a group of parameters that determine the mass and its density in the created modification.Division of the parameters into four groups makes it possible to evaluate and minimize the effect of the objective "square - cube" law on the mass gain in the design, production of a prototype and its flight tests and to represent it in the form of the starting mass of the modification (m0).The effectiveness of using the proposed approach to the formation of mass characteristics is shown on examples of the development of modifications of the An-124-100M and An-124-100M-150 airplanes.A distinctive feature of these modifications are: they were developed twenty years after creation of the base An-124 aircraft, carrying capacity has been increased by 30 tons, takeoff weight has been increased by 7%, the wing area, as well as the takeoff roll and landing run remained unchanged. The empty aircraft mass also remained unchanged, which indicates a special approach to the formation of mass characteristics. At the same time, in these modifications, the carrying capacity and flight performance increased by 25%, which is the highest achievement in the practice of creating aircraft of this type

Experimental Validation and Evaluation of a Coupled Twist-Camber Morphing Wing Concept

A morphing wing concept allowing for coupled twist-camber shape adaptation is proposed. The design is based on an optimized thickness distribution both spanwise and chordwise to be able to morph the wing sections into targeted airfoil shapes. Simultaneously, the spanwise twist is affected by the actuation. The concept provides a higher degree of control on the lift distribution which can be used for roll control, drag minimization, and active load alleviation. Static deformation and flight tests have been performed to evaluate and quantify the performance of the proposed mechanism. The ground tests include mapped actuated wing shapes, and wing mass and actuation power requirements. Roll authority, load alleviation, and aerodynamic efficiency estimates for different configurations were calculated using a lifting line theory coupled with viscous 2D airfoil data. Roll authority was estimated to be low when compared to a general aviation aircraft while the load alleviation capability was found to be high. Differences between the lift to drag ratio between the reference and morphing wing configurations are considerable. Mass and actuation energy present challenges that can be mitigated. The flight tests were used to qualitatively assess the roll control capability of the prototype, which was found to be adequate.

In-Flight Tests of Intruder Detection Vision System

In the near future, the integration of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles into the common airspace will proceed. The changes taking place mean that the safety of light aircraft, ultralight aircraft and unmanned air vehicles (UAV) will become an increasing problem. The IDAAS project (Intruder Detection And collision Avoidance System) meets the new challenges as it aims to produce technically advanced detection and collision avoidance systems for light and unmanned aerial vehicles. The work discusses selected elements of research and practical tests of the intruder detection vision system, which is part the of IDAAS project. At the outset, the current formal requirements related to the necessity of installing anticollision systems on aircraft are presented. The concept of the IDAAS system and the structure of algorithms related to image processing are also discussed. The main part of the work presents the methodology developed for the needs of dedicated flight tests, its implementation and the results obtained. The initial tests of the IDAAS system carried out on an ultralight aircraft generally indicate the possibility of the effective detection of intruders in the airspace with the use of vision methods, although they also indicated the existence of conditions in which this detection may prove difficult or even impossible.

Multimodal Estimation of Sine Dwell Vibrational Responses from Aeroelastic Flutter Flight Tests

Aircraft envelope expansion during new underwing stores installation is a challenging problem, mainly related to the aeroelastic flutter phenomenon. Aeroelastic models are usually very hard to model, and therefore flight tests are usually required to validate the aeroelastic model predictions, which given the catastrophic consequences of reaching the flutter point pose an important problem. This constraint favors using short time excitations like Sine Dwell to perform the flight tests, so that the aircraft stays close to the flutter point as little time as possible, but short time data implies a poor spectrum resolution and therefore leads to inaccurate and non repetitive results. The present paper will address the problem related to processing Sine Dwell signals from aeroelastic Flutter Flight Tests, characterized by very short data length (less than 5 s) and low frequency (less than 10 Hz) and used to identify the natural modes associated with the structure. In particular, a new robust technique, the PRESTO algorithm, will be presented and compared to a Matching Pursuit estimation based on Laplace Wavelet. Both techniques have demonstrated to be very accurate and robust procedures on very short time (Sine Dwell) signals, with the particularity that the Laplace Wavelet estimation has already been validated over F-18 real Flutter Flight Test data as described in different papers. However, the PRESTO algorithm improves the performance and accuracy of the Laplace Wavelet processing while keeping its robustness, both on real and simulated data.