Inflatable wings provide an innovative solution to unmanned aerial vehicles requiring small packed volumes, such as those used for military reconnaissance or extra-planetary exploration. There is desire to implement warping actuation forces to change the shape of the wing during flight to allow for greater control of the aircraft. In order to quickly and effectively analyze the effects of wing warping strategies on an inflatable wing, a finite element model is desired. Development of a finite element model which includes woven fabric material properties, internal pressure loading, and external wing loading is presented. Testing was performed to determine material properties of the woven fabric, and to determine wing response to static loadings. The modeling process was validated through comparison of simplified inflatable cylinder models to experimental test data. Wing model response was compared to experimental response, and modeling changes including varying material property models and mesh density studies are presented, along with qualitative wing warping simulations. Finally, experimental and finite element modal analyses were conducted, and comparisons of natural frequencies and mode shapes are presented.

This study is focused on designing conformal antennas to be deployed with the inflatable wings for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The main emphasis is on utilizing the structure of the wing to develop antennas for various frequency bands, while maintaining the wing’s aerodynamic performance. An antenna modeler and optimizer software called 4NEC2 and a program called WIRECODE were used to design and determine the characteristics of the antennas. The effect of flexibility of the inflatable wing on the antenna characteristics during flight is also evaluated.

A set of techniques is developed that allows the incorporation of flight dynamics metrics as an additional discipline in a high-fidelity aerodynamic optimization. Specifically, techniques for including static stability constraints and handling qualities constraints in a high-fidelity aerodynamic optimization are demonstrated. These constraints are developed from stability derivative information calculated using high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Two techniques are explored for computing the stability derivatives from CFD. One technique uses an automatic differentiation adjoint technique (ADjoint) to efficiently and accurately compute a full set of static and dynamic stability derivatives from a single steady solution. The other technique uses a linear regression method to compute the stability derivatives from a quasi-unsteady time-spectral CFD solution, allowing for the computation of static, dynamic and transient stability derivatives. Based on the characteristics of the two methods, the time-spectral technique is selected for further development, incorporated into an optimization framework, and used to conduct stability-constrained aerodynamic optimization. This stability-constrained optimization framework is then used to conduct an optimization study of a flying wing configuration. This study shows that stability constraints have a significant impact on the optimal design of flying wings and that, while static stability constraints can often be satisfied by modifying the airfoil profiles of the wing, dynamic stability constraints can require a significant change in the planform of the aircraft in order for the constraints to be satisfied.

Thesis (M.A.)--Baylor University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 152-155).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2009. / Vita. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed June 2, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-126).

Η φυλοσύνδετη θερμοευαίσθητη μετάλλαξη wisertsl (wings scalloped, eyes rough) οφείλεται σε ένθεση ενός Ρ μεταθέσιμου γενετικού στοιχείου στη 5΄ ρυθμιστική περιοχή του γονιδίου lawc (CG32711). Τα άτομα wisertsl πεθαίνουν στους 29οC, γεγονός που οφείλεται στην διαφορετική έκφραση της πρωτεΐνης Wiser/Lawc κατά τη διάρκεια της ανάπτυξης. Το γονίδιο lawc/wiser κωδικοποιεί μια μικρή πρωτεΐνη 73 αμινοξέων, η οποία εκφράζεται στο στάδιο του εμβρύου στα κύτταρα της κοιλιακής χορδής του κεντρικού νευρικού συστήματος, στα πολικά κύτταρα, στο έντερο, στην τραχεία, στα αιμοκύτταρα και στο περιφερικό νευρικό σύστημα. Στα ακμαία θηλυκά άτομα εκφράζεται στα τροφοκύτταρα των ωοθηκών. Επίσης εμπλέκεται στη μορφογένεση των φτερών, των ποδιών και των ματιών. Αλληλεπιδρά με τα γονίδια Notch και Beadex και Serrate και εμπλέκεται στον κυτταρικό πολλαπλασιασμό. Τέλος, η πρωτεΐνη Lawc είναι απαραίτητη για την κατάλληλη μεταγραφή από την RNA polymerase II σε μια διαδικασία που περιλαμβάνει το πυρηνικό πρωτεάσωμα, το οποίο είναι υπεύθυνο για την αποικοδόμηση άχρηστων ή καταστραμμένων πρωτεΐνών. Τα αποτελέσματα της παρούσας εργασίας αποκάλυψαν ότι οι μεταλλάξεις ap-Gal4 και fng-lacZ των γονιδίων apterous (ap) και fringe, αντίστοιχα αυξάνουν σημαντικά το φαινότυπο wisertsl τσιμπημένα/φαγωμένα φτερά, στα θηλυκά και αρσενικά άτομα των γενοτύπων wisertsl; ap-Gal4/+(CyO) και wisertsl;fng-lacZ/+(Sb). Το μεγαλύτερο μέρος της παρυφής των φτερών λείπει όπως και μέρος του ιστού τους. Η αύξηση του φαινοτύπου wisertsl στα άτομα των παραπάνω γενοτύπων συνοδεύεται και από σημαντικές αλλαγές στo πρότυπο έκφρασης των αντίστοιχων γονιδίων ap κα fng. Το γονίδιο ap, ενώ κανονικά εκφράζεται στο ραχιαίο διαμέρισμα του εμβρυικού δίσκου του φτερού και ορίζει το ραχιοκοιλιακό άξονα, στα άτομα wisertsl; ap-Gal4/+(CyO) η έκφρασή του επεκτείνεται και στο κοιλιακό διαμέρισμα. Το γονίδιο fng κανονικά εκφράζεται στο θύλακα των εμβρυικών δίσκων του φτερού, περιοχή που θα δώσει την πτέρυγα του ακμαίου ατόμου και στο κοιλιακό και ραχιαίο τμήμα του δίσκου που θα σχηματίσει τις αρθρώσεις των φτερών. Στα άτομα wisertsl;fng-lacZ/+(Sb) η έκφραση του γονιδίου fng περιορίζεται μόνο σε μέρος του ραχιαίου και κοιλιακού τμήματος του δίσκου των φτερών. Αύξηση του φαινοτύπου wisertsl προκαλεί και η μετάλλαξη Serrate1 στα άτομα wisertsl/Υ;Ser1. Υπερέκφραση των γονιδίων ap, fng, Ser και Chip, με τη χρησιμοποίηση των αντίστοιχων UAS διαγονιδίων τους, στην περιοχή έκφρασης του γονιδίου ap, με οδηγό τη μετάλλαξη ap-Gal4, διασώζουν πλήρως το φαινότυπο wisertsl στα άτομα wisertsl/Y;ap-Gal4/UAS-ap, wisertsl/Y;ap-Gal4/UAS-fng, wisertsl/Y;ap-Gal4/UAS-Ser και wisertsl/Y;ap-Gal4/UAS-chip τα οποία έχουν κανονικά φτερά (με κανονικές παρυφές). Τα γονίδια fng και Ser αποτελούν στόχους του γονιδίου ap που μαζί με το γονίδιο Delta ενεργοποιούν το γονίδιο Notch, γονίδιο κλειδί για την ανάπτυξη του φτερού. Το γονίδιο Chip κωδικοποιεί την πρωτεΐνη Chip που είναι συμπαράγοντας της πρωτεΐνης Αp. Τα αποτελέσματα αυτά δείχνουν ότι έντονος φαινότυπος φαγωμένα φτερά της μετάλλαξης wisertsl στα άτομα των γενοτύπων wisertsl; ap–gal4/+ ή CyO και wisertsl; fng-lacΖ/+ ή Sb1 οφείλεται σε μειωμένη δράση της πρωτεΐνης Ap για την οποία υπεύθυνη πρέπει να είναι η μετάλλαξη wisertsl. Η παρατήρηση ότι η μετάλλαξη wisertsl στις παραπάνω διασταυρώσεις δίνει αποτελέσματα παρόμοια με εκείνα που δίνει η υπερέχουσα μετάλλαξη Bx1 του γονιδίου Beadex στις αντίστοιχες διασταυρώσεις υποστηρίζει την άποψη ότι το γονίδιο lawc πρέπει να εμπλέκεται στην ανάπτυξη των φτερών μέσω της ρυθμίσεις της έκφρασης του γονιδίου Beadex. Αύξηση της πρωτεΐνης dLMO (Bx) μειώνει τη δράση του παράγοντα Ap μέσω της μείωσης των επιπέδων του τετραμερούς Ap-Chip-Chip-Ap. / The X-linked temperature sensitive mutation wisertsl (wings scalloped, eyes rough) is the result of an insertion of the P transposable element in the 5΄ regulatory region of the gene lawc (CG32711). wisertsl flies do not survive in the restrictive temperature of 29οC, because of the differential expression of the Lawc protein during embryonic development. The lawc gene encodes a small protein of 73 a.a. which is mainly expressed during the stage of third instar larva in the ventral mid-line cells of the central nervous system, in pole cells, in the intestine, in the trachea, in red blood cells and in the peripheral nervous system. In adult female flies Lawc is expressed in the nurse cells of the ovaries. Lawc is involved in development of wings, legs and eyes. The lawc gene also interacts with the genes Notch, Beadex (dLMO) and Serrate and it plays a role in the cell proliferation. Finally Lawc is required for proper transcription by RNA polymerase II in aprocess that involves the nuclear proteasome, which is responsible for degradation of damaged or needless proteins. The results of the present study revealed that the mutations ap-Gal4 and fng-lacZ of the genes apterous (ap) and fringe (fng) respectively, increase the wisertsl phenotype of notched wings in female and male flies of the genotype wisertsl; ap-Gal4/+(CyO) and wisertsl; fng-lacZ/+(Sb). Wings of these genotypes lack most of the wing margin and part of the blade. The increased phenotypes are accompanied by significant changes in the expression pattern of the genes ap and fng. Specifically while ap is normally expressed in the dorsal compartment of wing imaginal disc in flies of the genotype wisertsl; ap-Gal4/+(CyO) its expression expands into the ventral compartment. The gene fng is normally expressed in the pouch of wing imaginal disc which will give rise to wing blade and dorsal and ventral wing hinge. In the flies of the genotype wisertsl; fng-lacZ/+(Sb), fng expression is restricted only into a portion of dorsal and ventral hinge of wing imaginal disc. Mutation Serl also causes increased wisertsl phenotypes in flies of the genotype wisertsl/Υ; Ser1. Overexpression of the genes ap, fng, Ser and Chipin in the dorsal compartment wing imaginal discs by using their corresponding UAS transgenes and driver the mutation ap-Gal4, completely rescued the wisertsl phenotype. Flies of the genotypes wisertsl/Y; ap-Gal4/UAS-ap, wisertsl/Y; ap-Gal4/ UAS-fng, wisertsl/Y; ap-Gal4/UAS-Ser and wisertsl/Y; ap-Gal4/UAS-Chip have complete restoration of the wing margin. The genes fng and Ser, which are regulated by ap, with the Delta are responsible for the activation of the Notch gene that is key for the proper development of the wing. The gene Chip encodes the Chip protein that is co-factor of Ap. Taking into account all these data, we can conclude that the strong wisertsl phenotype in the flies of the genotype wisertsl; ap-gal4/+ or CyO and wisertsl; fng-lacΖ/+ or Sb1 is the result of reduced activity of the transcription factor Ap which might due to the wisertsl. Overexpressed the genes ap, fng, Ser and Chip, in the dorsal compartment wing imaginal discs in wisertsl genetic background. Flies of the genotype wisertsl/Y; ap-Gal4/UAS-ap, wisertsl/Y; ap-Gal4/ UAS-fng, wisertsl/Y; ap-Gal4/UAS-Ser and wisertsl/Y; ap-Gal4/UAS-Chip have complete restoration of the wing margin. Genes fng and Ser, which are regulated by ap, with the participation of Delta are responsible for the activation of Notch receptor that is a key component for the proper development of the wing. Gene Chip encodes Chip protein that is a co-factor of Ap. Taking into account all these data, we can conclude that the strong wisertsl phenotype in the flies of the genotype wisertsl; ap-gal4/+ or CyO and wisertsl; fng-lacΖ/+ or Sb1 is the result of reduced activity of the transcription factor Ap. The observation that the mutation wisertsl in the aforementioned crossing schemes, causes phenotypes similar to those caused by the dominant mutation Bx1 (hypermorphic allele) in the corresponding crosses, support the view that the gene lawc must implicated in wing development by regulating the expression levels of Beadex (dLMO) protein. Increased levels of dLMO protein reduce the activity of Ap by decreasing the levels of the active tetramers of Ap-Chip-Chip-Ap.

Thesis (MScEng) -- Stellenbosch University, 1976. / pt. A. Theory and computer program -- pt. B. Experimental. / INTRODUCTION: The advent of the high speed computer has revolutionized structural design in all spheres of Engineering. Up till then structural stress analysis was limited to over-simplification of the structure in question to comply with derived classical mathematical solutions. In practice however the picture is very different, the structure usually being complex and highly redundant in nature. The techniques involving Energy Methods to solve such structures have been known for a long time. However they required weeks of hand calculations to solve only a small number of redundancies in a structure. Neville Shute mentions this in his book Slide Rule. The development of Matrix algebra and the finite element method has made it possible to analyse, say, a complete aircraft structure in a matter of days. using a large capacity high speed computer~ Experimental results have shown that finite element stress analysis comes much closer to reality than the dated classical methods.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation presents the design and practical demonstration of a flight control system (FCS) that is capable of autonomously landing a fixed-wing, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a stationary platform aided by a high-precision differential global positioning system. This project forms part of on-going research with the end goal of landing a fixed-wing UAV on a moving platform (for example a ship’s deck) in windy conditions. The main aim of this project is to be able to land the UAV autonomously, safely and accurately on the runway. To this end, an airframe was selected and equipped with an avionics payload. The equipped airframe’s stability derivatives were analysed via AVL and the moment of inertia was determined by the double pendulum method. The aircraft model was developed in such a way that the specific force and moment model (high bandwidth) is split from the point-mass dynamics of the aircraft (low bandwidth) [1]. The advantage of modelling the aircraft according to this unique method, results in a design that has simple decoupled linear controllers. The inner-loop controllers control the high-bandwidth specific accelerations and roll-rate, while the outer-loop controllers control the low-bandwidth point-mass dynamics. The performance of the developed auto-landing flight control system was tested in software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations. A Monte Carlo non-linear landing simulation analysis showed that the FCS is expected to land the aircraft 95% of the time within a circle with a diameter of 1.5m. Practical flight tests verified the theoretical results of the developed controllers and the project was concluded with five autonomous landings. The aircraft landed within a circle with a 7.5m radius with the aiming point at the centre of the circle. In the practical landings the longitudinal landing error dominated the landing performance of the autonomous landing system. The large longitudinal error resulted from a climb rate bias on the estimated climb rate and a shallow landing glide slope. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie skripsie stel die ontwikkeling en praktiese demonstrasie van ʼn self-landdende onbemande vastevlerkvliegtuigstelsel voor, wat op ʼn stilstaande platform te lande kan kom met behulp van ʼn uiters akkurate globale posisionering stelsel. Die projek maak deel uit van ʼn groter projek, waarvan die doel is om ʼn onbemande vastevlerkvliegtuig op ʼn bewegende platform te laat land (bv. op ʼn boot se dek) in onstuimige windtoestande. Die hoofdoel van die projek was om die vliegtuig so akkuraat as moontlik op die aanloopbaan te laat land. ʼn Vliegtuigraamwerk is vir dié doel gekies wat met gepaste avionica uitgerus is. Die uitgeruste vliegtuig se aerodinamsie eienskappe was geanaliseer met AVL en die traagheidsmoment is deur die dubbelependulum metode bepaal. Die vliegtuigmodel is op so ‘n manier onwikkel om [1] die spesifieke krag en momentmodel (vinnige reaksie) te skei van die puntmassadinamiek (stadige reaksie). Die voordeel van hierdie wyse van modulering is dat eenvoudige ontkoppelde beheerders ontwerp kon word. Die binnelusbeheerders beheer die vinnige reaksie-spesifieke versnellings en die rol tempo van die vliegtuig. Die buitelusbeheerders beheer die stadige reaksie puntmassa dinamiek. Die vliegbeheerstelsel is in sagteware-in-die-lus en hardeware-in-die-lus simulasies getoets. Die vliegtuig se landingseienskappe is ondersoek deur die uitvoer van Monte Carlo simulasies, die simulasie resultate wys dat die vliegtuig 95% van die tyd binne in ʼn sirkel met ʼn diameter van 1.5m geland het. Praktiese vlugtoetse het bevestig dat die teoretiese uitslae en die prakties uitslae ooreenstem. Die vliegtuig het twee suksesvolle outomatiese landings uitgevoer, waar dit binne ʼn 7.5m-radius sirkel geland het, waarvan die gewenste landingspunt die middelpunt was. In die outomatiese landings is die longitudinale landingsfout die grootse. Die groot longitudinale landingsfout is as gevolg van ʼn afset op die afgeskatte afwaartse spoed en ʼn lae landings gradiënt.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-17T14:55:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1378872 bytes, checksum: ba74dcc33082019157e38be00610522d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The aim of this study was to compare the body measurements of two species of frugivore bats (Artibeus planirostris and Artibeus cinereus) that co-occur in the Biological Reserve Guaribas, State of Paraiba, Brazil. A total of 118 individuals collected in mist net between June and October 2013 were analyzed. Body mass, wingspan, the length of the wing bones and tibia of 65 A. planirostris and 53 A. cinereus were measured. The two species showed sexual dimorphism in size, with females significantly larger than males. Regressions (SMA) between morphometric variables for both species tend to differ significantly from isometry, indicating that there were differences in form between these two species, a result confirmed by discriminant analysis. Wing measures tended to grow less than expected in relation to body mass, which may be an adaptation to reduce drag and allow higher speeds flying in larger individuals. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between body mass and aspect ratio, which suggests a tendency to narrowing of the wings in larger individuals (another adaptation that allows faster flight). Unlike the wing, the tibia in both species increased in size more than expected with increased body mass. This process may be related to increased investment in the tibia in order to support the increasing weight gain in larger bats. / O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar as medidas corporais de duas espécies de morcegos frugívoros (Artibeus planirostris e Artibeus cinereus) que co-ocorrem na Reserva Biológica Guaribas, Estado da Paraíba, Brasil. Foi analisado um total de 118 indivíduos coletados em rede de neblina entre junho e outubro de 2013. Foram medidos a massa corporal, a envergadura, o comprimento dos ossos das asas e a tíbia de 65 A. planirostris e 53 A. cinereus. As duas espécies apresentaram dimorfismo sexual de tamanho, sendo as fêmeas significativamente maiores que os machos. Regressões (SMA) entre as variáveis morfométricas para as duas espécies na sua maior parte diferiram significativamente da isometria, indicando que houve diferença de forma, um resultado corroborado pela análise discriminante. As medidas de asa tenderam a crescer menos que o esperado em relação à massa corporal, o que pode indicar uma adaptação para reduzir o arrasto e permitir maiores velocidades de vôo nos indivíduos de maior tamanho. Além disso, foi encontrada uma correlação positiva entre a massa corporal e a Razão do Aspecto, o que sugere uma tendência para o estreitamento das asas em indivíduos de maior tamanho (outra adaptação que permite um vôo mais rápido). Ao contrário da asa, a tíbia nas duas espécies aumentou de tamanho mais do que o esperado com o aumento da massa corporal. Esse processo pode estar relacionado ao maior investimento na tíbia, a fim de sustentar o crescente ganho peso nos morcegos de maior porte.

abstract: The focus of this investigation is on the renewed assessment of nonlinear reduced order models (ROM) for the accurate prediction of the geometrically nonlinear response of a curved beam. In light of difficulties encountered in an earlier modeling effort, the various steps involved in the construction of the reduced order model are carefully reassessed. The selection of the basis functions is first addressed by comparison with the results of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis. The normal basis functions suggested earlier, i.e. the transverse linear modes of the corresponding flat beam, are shown in fact to be very close to the POD eigenvectors of the normal displacements and thus retained in the present effort. A strong connection is similarly established between the POD eigenvectors of the tangential displacements and the dual modes which are accordingly selected to complement the normal basis functions. The identification of the parameters of the reduced order model is revisited next and it is observed that the standard approach for their identification does not capture well the occurrence of snap-throughs. On this basis, a revised approach is proposed which is assessed first on the static, symmetric response of the beam to a uniform load. A very good to excellent matching between full finite element and ROM predicted responses validates the new identification procedure and motivates its application to the dynamic response of the beam which exhibits both symmetric and antisymmetric motions. While not quite as accurate as in the static case, the reduced order model predictions match well their full Nastran counterparts and support the reduced order model development strategy. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Mechanical Engineering 2011