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Flight Dynamics and Control of an Aircraft with Segmented Control Surfaces

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Flight Dynamics and Control of an Aircraft with Segmented Control Surfaces AIAA-RSC2-2003-U-010 Flight Dynamics and Control of an Aircraft With Segmented Control Surfaces Mujahid Abdulrahim Undergraduate University of Florida Gainesville, FL AIAA 54th Southeastern Regional Student Conference March 27-28, 2003 Kill Devil Hills, NC For Permission to copy or to republish, contact the copyright owner named on the first page. For AIAA-held copyright, write to AIAA Permissions Department, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA, 20191-4344. FLIGHT DYNAMICS AND CONTROL OF AN AIRCRAFT WITH SEGMENTED CONTROL SURFACES Mujahid Abdulrahim* University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida Abstract Flight researchers are increasingly turning towards small, unmanned aircraft for achieving mission objectives. These aircraft are simple to operate and offer numerous advantages over larger manned vehicles. In addition to being light, inexpensive, and readily available, they are also more versatile in that they can be used for flight experiments that are either too risky or uncertain for a manned flight test program. One application of unmanned vehicles is in the area of increased control authority research. This paper presents the preliminary stages of one such application, where an existing UAV is modified with 16 independent wing control surfaces. These surfaces are used in place of conventional ailerons for roll control and as a supplement to rudder, elevator, and flap controls. Instrumentation and sensors on-board the aircraft allow complete characterization of the flight dynamics. A traditional control system is replaced with a microcontroller that commands each aileron segment independently. Various modes of actuation can be implemented to improve roll, pitch, and yaw response, minimize induced drag, and provide numerous levels of redundancy. The results indicate that the segmented control surfaces can be configured for a superior level of control. INTRODUCTION A preliminary approach to designing a morphing Small, unmanned air vehicles are increasingly used as a vehicle is increasing the number control surfaces. This tool for flight research. Equipment and instrumentation research focuses on the development and that once was prohibitively large and expensive is now characterization of such an aircraft. The vehicle in available for these miniature aircraft. While the use of question is equipped with 16 independent wing control UAVs for research continues gaining acceptance, the surfaces in place of the conventional ailerons. capabilities of the individual research teams continue to Although actuated in a similar fashion, the large expand. No longer are flight researchers concerned number of surfaces allows for complex trailing-edge with the primitive aspects of operating the equipment. shapes which could contribute aerodynamic, structural, The performance and reliability of small models, in and control advantages. addition to their considerably lower cost and simplified operation, create an environment where high-risk, high- payoff experiments can be conducted. One of the concepts under investigation is active wing shaping. Somewhat reminiscent of the 1903 Wright Brother’s wing warping scheme, active wing shaping strategies employ the wing as an entire control surface. Through various methods, the wing is shaped, deflected, or deformed to respond to changing conditions or impart changes on the aircraft’s flight path1. The shaping produces much more complex modes of actuation (Figure 1) than can be achieved with conventional control surfaces. Figure 1: NASA vision for a “morphing” aircraft *Undergraduate Student, [email protected], Student Member AIAA Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering The need for such an aircraft is clear. Most types of airplane, both civil and military, operate in a wide Copyright © 2003 Mujahid Abdulrahim. Published by variety of conditions. Some of these have conflicting the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, requirements on aircraft design, where an efficient Inc. with permission. 1 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics configuration in one instance may perform poorly in of the flight testbed are not of interest. Rather, it is the others. The rigid, non-deformable structures of these change in performance afforded by unique actuation of airplanes preclude any adaptation to changing the surfaces that warrants study. As such, the choice of conditions. Alternatively, an aircraft equipped with airplane is irrelevant, provided that a minimum level of active wing shaping would continuously respond to a performance is available to reflect the effectiveness of dynamic environment by deforming or deflecting parts the surfaces. In this regard, the MiG-27 was ideal, of the airframe. having basic aerobatic capability. Furthermore, the inherent stability and simple operation of the aircraft The material presented in this paper provides an initial made it well suited for use as a controls testbed. look at the issues related to developing and testing an airplane that might ultimately lead to a morphing SPECIFICATIONS vehicle. It is in no way a comprehensive study of the subject. Rather, it is merely the beginning of a series of The aircraft used in this research is largely similar to design and testing. hobby remote control aircraft. The building techniques and hardware used throughout the airframe are derived AIRCRAFT SYSTEM exclusively from R/C modeling. The airframe is composed entirely of injection-molded Styrofoam. In developing an airborne controls testbed, the This facilitates assembly and allows the structure to be requirement for simplicity and cost-effectiveness easily modified to incorporate actuators and outweighed any performance objective. The aircraft instrumentation. used must be easily modified to incorporate actuators and instrumentation. It also must be large enough to sustain the weight of such payload without affecting flight performance. Figure 2: FQM-117B “MiG-27” aircraft in flight The airplane used for this research, shown in Figure 2, Figure 3: Top view of the MiG-27, note 16 servos is a military designation FQM-117B radio controlled miniature aerial target. Donated by Ft. Eustis Army Base, this military target drone is shaped entirely out of white Styrofoam, facilitating construction and modifications to the structure. The model is similar in shape to a Russian MiG-27 “Flogger”, referred to as MiG-27 for short (Figures 3 and 4). Although the original purpose of the aircraft was to provide target practice for Stinger missiles, simple modifications converted it to a suitable research platform. The modifications included addition of landing gear, rudder control, and surface finish. In the study of the effect of multiple actuators on aircraft control, the specific performance characteristics Figure 4: Front and side views of the MiG-27 2 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Table 1: MiG-27 Specifications Unlike the 3-DAS, which interfaces exclusively with Dimensions one sensor, the µDAS can be interfaced with a variety Length 6 ft of sensors that output analog voltage. Most Wingspan 5.5 ft importantly, it is used to measure actuator position, Wing Area 800 in2 which is directly related to both pilot input and control Wing Loading 14.4 – 23 oz/in2 surface deflection. This process takes advantage of the Controls position feedback potentiometer inside the control Aileron -45º to +45º actuators. The voltage of the center pot lead, which is Elevator -20º to +30º directly proportional to actuator position, is read for Rudder -40º to +40º each of the primary control surface servos. For the wing servos, the voltage is measured for only one INSTRUMENTATION servo. The position of the remaining surfaces can then be determined with knowledge of the control algorithm. The instrumentation system measures the aircraft states required for flight dynamics characterization2. Included An alternate sensor system was used to generate the are control, attitude, and rate sensors that describe flight data presented in this paper. The 3DM-G control inputs and the resulting aircraft response. In orientation sensor was replaced with 3-axis rate and addition to the sensors, devices are used to interpret acceleration sensors interfaced directly to the µDAS. signals and record sensor outputs for post-flight The output of these sensors is satisfactory for flight analysis. Table 2 below summarizes the measurements testing. The additional DAS required to use the 3DM- in terms of aircraft states. G was not completed in time for publication. Table 2: Measured aircraft states ACTUATORS Linear acceleration - ax, ay, az Angular rates (roll, pitch, yaw) - p, q, r The basis of this research is to develop a flying testbed for control of deformable surfaces3. Part of this Euler flight angles - FQY,, development involved designing and selecting Control surface deflection - d a ,d e ,d r hardware and software needed for such control aspirations. Elevator and rudder surfaces on the test The aircraft instrumentation system consists of two aircraft are unmodified. However, the standard ailerons primary components: orientation sensing and data are replaced by an array of surfaces, each independently acquisition. A MicroStrain 3DM-G sensor is used for controlled. The system is used to investigate the effect measurement of attitude and orientation. It is equipped of a control array on the controllability of an aircraft. with 3 gyros, 3 accelerometers, and 3 magnetometers. The choice of using 16 actuators has no basis aside The output of these 9 sensors are internally correlated
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