A new numerical methodology to examine fluid-structure interaction of a wing/pylon/store system has been developed. The aeroelastic equation of motion of the complete system is solved iteratively in the time domain using a two-entity numerical code comprised of ABAQUS/Standard and the Unsteady-Vortex-Lattice Method. Both codes communicate through an iterative handshake procedure during which displacements and air loads are updated. For each increment in time the force/displacement equilibrium is found in this manner. The wing, pylon, and store data considered in this analysis are based on an F16 configuration that was identified to induce flutter in flight at subsonic speeds. The wing structure is modeled as an elastic plate and pylon and store are rigid bodies. The store body is connected to the pylon through an elastic joint exercising pitch and yaw degrees of freedom. Vortex-Lattice theory featuring closed ring-vortices and continuous vortex shedding to form the wakes is employed to model the aerodynamics of wing, store, and pylon. The methodology was validated against published data demonstrating excellent agreement with documented key phenomena of fluid-structure iteration. The model correctly predicts the effects of the pylon induced lateral flow disruption as well as wing-tip-vortex effects. It can identify the presence of aerodynamic interference between the store, pylon, and wing wakes and examine its significance with respect to the pressure and lift forces on the participating bodies. An elementary flutter study was undertaken to examine the dynamic characteristics of a stiff production pylon at near-critical airspeeds versus those of a soft-in-pitch pylon. The simulation reproduced the stabilizing effect of the stiffness reduction in the pitch motion. This idea is based on the concept of the decoupler pylon, introduced by Reed and Foughner in 1978 and flight tested in the early 1980's. NOTE: (3/07) An updated copy of this ETD was added after there were patron reports of problems with the file. / Ph. D.

The physics of flapping is very important in the design of MAVs. As MAVs cannot have an engine that produces the amount of thrust required for forward flight, and yet be light weight, harnessing thrust and lift from flapping is imperative for its design and development. In this thesis, aerodynamics of pitch and plunge are simulated using a 3-D, free wake, vortex lattice method (VLM), and structural characteristics of the wing are simulated as a membrane supported by a rigid frame. The aerodynamics is validated by comparing the results from the VLM model for constant angle of attack flight, pitching flight and plunging flight with analytical results, existing 2-D VLM and a doublet lattice method. The aeroelasticity is studied by varying parameters affecting the flow as well as parameters affecting the structure. The parametric studies are performed for cases of constant angle of attack, plunge and, pitch and plunge. The response of the aeroelastic model to the changes in the parameters are analyzed and documented. The results show that the aerodynamic loads increase for increased deformation, and vice-versa. For a wing with rigid boundaries supporting a membranous structure with a step change in angle of attack, the membrane oscillates about the steady state deformation and influence the loads. For prescribed oscillations in pitch and plunge, the membrane deformations and loads transition into a periodic steady state. / Master of Science

Um modelo numérico para simulação da resposta aeroelástica de asas fixas é proposto. A estratégia adotada no trabalho é a de tratar a aerodinâmica e a dinâmica estrutural separadamente e então acoplá-las na equação de movimento. A caracterização dinâmica de uma asa protótipo é feita pelo método dos elementos finitos e a equação de movimento é escrita em função das coordenadas modais. O carregamento aerodinâmico não-estacionário é determinado pelo método de malha de vórtices. A troca de informações entre as malhas estrutural e aerodinâmica é feita através do método de interpolação por splines de superfície e a equação de movimento é resolvida iterativamente no domínio do tempo, utilizando-se um método preditor-corretor. As teorias de aerodinâmica, dinâmica estrutural e do acoplamento entre elas são apresentadas separadamente, juntamente com os respectivos resultados obtidos. A resposta aeroelástica da asa protótipo é representada por curvas de deslocamentos modais em função do tempo para várias velocidades de vôo e a ocorrência de flutter é verificada quando estas curvas divergem (i.e. as amplitudes aumentam progressivamente). Transformadas de Fourier destas curvas mostram o acoplamento de freqüências característico do fenômeno de flutter. / A numerical model for the simulation of the aeroelastic response of fixed wings is proposed. The methodology used in the work is to treat the aerodynamic and the structural dynamics separately and then couple them in the equation of motion. The dynamic characterization of a prototype wing is done by the finite element method and the equation of motion is written in modal coordinates. The unsteady aerodynamic loads are predicted using the vortex lattice method. The exchange of information between the aerodynamic and structural meshes is done by the surface splines interpolation scheme, and the equation of motion is solved interactively in the time domain, employing a predictor-corrector method. The aerodynamic and structural dynamics theories, and the methodology to couple them, are described separately, together with the corresponding obtained results. The aeroelastic response of the prototype wing is represented by time histories of the modal coordinates for different airspeeds, and the flutter occurrence is verified when the time histories diverge (i.e. the amplitudes keep growing). Fast Fourier Transforms of these time histories show the coupling of frequencies, typical of the flutter phenomenon.

<p>This thesis presents the work done to implement new computational tools and methods dedicated to aircraft conceptual design sizing and optimization. These tools have been exercised on different aircraft concepts in order to validate them and assess their relevance and applicability to practical cases.First, a geometry construction protocol has been developed. It is indeed essential to have a geometry description that supports the derivation of all discretizations and idealizations used by the different analysis modules (aerodynamics, weights and balance, stability and control, etc.) for which an aircraft concept is evaluated. The geometry should also be intuitive to the user, general enough to describe a wide array of morphologies and suitable for optimization. All these conditions are fulfilled by an appropriate parameterization of the geometry. In addition, a tool named CADac (Computer Aided Design aircraft) has been created in order to produce automatically a closed and consistent CAD solid model of the designs under study. The produced CAD model is easily meshable and therefore high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) computations can be performed effortlessly without need for tedious and time-consuming post-CAD geometry repair.Second, an unsteady vortex-lattice method based on TORNADO has been implemented in order to enlarge to scope of flight conditions that can be analyzed. It has been validated satisfactorily for the sudden acceleration of a flat plate as well as for the static and dynamic derivatives of the Saab 105/SK 60.Finally, a methodology has been developed to compute quickly in a semi-empirical way the buffet envelope of new aircraft geometries at the conceptual stage. The parameters that demonstrate functional sensitivity to buffet onset have been identified and their relative effect quantified. The method uses a combination of simple sweep theory and fractional change theory as well as the buffet onset of a seed aircraft or a provided generic buffet onset to estimate the buffet envelope of any target geometry. The method proves to be flexible and robust enough to predict within mainly 5% (and in any case 9%) the buffet onset for a wide variety of aircrafts, from regional turboprop to long-haul wide body or high-speed business jets.This work was done within the 6^th European framework project SimSAC (Simulating Stability And Control) whose task is to create a multidisciplinary simulation environment named CEASIOM (Computerized Environment for Aircraft Synthesis and Integrated Optimization Methods), oriented toward stability and control and specially suited for aircraft conceptual design sizing and optimization.</p> / SimSAC

The performance of a horizontal axis marine current turbine is predicted by three numerical methods, vortex lattice method MPUF-3A, boundary element method PROPCAV and a commercial RANS solver FLUENT. The predictions are compared with the experimental measurements for the same turbine model. A fully unsteady wake alignment is utilized in order to model the realistic wake geometry of the turbine. A lifting line theory based method is developed to produce the optimum circulation distribution for turbines and propellers and a lifting line theory based database searching method is used to achieve the optimum circulation distribution for tidal turbines. A nonlinear optimization method (CAVOPT-3D) and another database-searching design method (CAVOPT-BASE) are utilized to design the blades of marine current turbines and marine propellers. A design procedure for the tidal turbine is proposed by using the developed methods successively. Finally, an interactive viscous/potential flow method is utilized to analyze the effect of nonuniform inflow on the performance of tidal turbines. / text

Um modelo numérico para simulação da resposta aeroelástica de asas fixas é proposto. A estratégia adotada no trabalho é a de tratar a aerodinâmica e a dinâmica estrutural separadamente e então acoplá-las na equação de movimento. A caracterização dinâmica de uma asa protótipo é feita pelo método dos elementos finitos e a equação de movimento é escrita em função das coordenadas modais. O carregamento aerodinâmico não-estacionário é determinado pelo método de malha de vórtices. A troca de informações entre as malhas estrutural e aerodinâmica é feita através do método de interpolação por splines de superfície e a equação de movimento é resolvida iterativamente no domínio do tempo, utilizando-se um método preditor-corretor. As teorias de aerodinâmica, dinâmica estrutural e do acoplamento entre elas são apresentadas separadamente, juntamente com os respectivos resultados obtidos. A resposta aeroelástica da asa protótipo é representada por curvas de deslocamentos modais em função do tempo para várias velocidades de vôo e a ocorrência de flutter é verificada quando estas curvas divergem (i.e. as amplitudes aumentam progressivamente). Transformadas de Fourier destas curvas mostram o acoplamento de freqüências característico do fenômeno de flutter. / A numerical model for the simulation of the aeroelastic response of fixed wings is proposed. The methodology used in the work is to treat the aerodynamic and the structural dynamics separately and then couple them in the equation of motion. The dynamic characterization of a prototype wing is done by the finite element method and the equation of motion is written in modal coordinates. The unsteady aerodynamic loads are predicted using the vortex lattice method. The exchange of information between the aerodynamic and structural meshes is done by the surface splines interpolation scheme, and the equation of motion is solved interactively in the time domain, employing a predictor-corrector method. The aerodynamic and structural dynamics theories, and the methodology to couple them, are described separately, together with the corresponding obtained results. The aeroelastic response of the prototype wing is represented by time histories of the modal coordinates for different airspeeds, and the flutter occurrence is verified when the time histories diverge (i.e. the amplitudes keep growing). Fast Fourier Transforms of these time histories show the coupling of frequencies, typical of the flutter phenomenon.

This thesis presents the work done to implement new computational tools and methods dedicated to aircraft conceptual design sizing and optimization. These tools have been exercised on different aircraft concepts in order to validate them and assess their relevance and applicability to practical cases. First, a geometry construction protocol has been developed. It is indeed essential to have a geometry description that supports the derivation of all discretizations and idealizations used by the different analysis modules (aerodynamics, weights and balance, stability and control, etc.) for which an aircraft concept is evaluated. The geometry should also be intuitive to the user, general enough to describe a wide array of morphologies and suitable for optimization. All these conditions are fulfilled by an appropriate parameterization of the geometry. In addition, a tool named CADac (Computer Aided Design aircraft) has been created in order to produce automatically a closed and consistent CAD solid model of the designs under study. The produced CAD model is easily meshable and therefore high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) computations can be performed effortlessly without need for tedious and time-consuming post-CAD geometry repair.Second, an unsteady vortex-lattice method based on TORNADO has been implemented in order to enlarge to scope of flight conditions that can be analyzed. It has been validated satisfactorily for the sudden acceleration of a flat plate as well as for the static and dynamic derivatives of the Saab 105/SK 60.Finally, a methodology has been developed to compute quickly in a semi-empirical way the buffet envelope of new aircraft geometries at the conceptual stage. The parameters that demonstrate functional sensitivity to buffet onset have been identified and their relative effect quantified. The method uses a combination of simple sweep theory and fractional change theory as well as the buffet onset of a seed aircraft or a provided generic buffet onset to estimate the buffet envelope of any target geometry. The method proves to be flexible and robust enough to predict within mainly 5% (and in any case 9%) the buffet onset for a wide variety of aircrafts, from regional turboprop to long-haul wide body or high-speed business jets.This work was done within the 6th European framework project SimSAC (Simulating Stability And Control) whose task is to create a multidisciplinary simulation environment named CEASIOM (Computerized Environment for Aircraft Synthesis and Integrated Optimization Methods), oriented toward stability and control and specially suited for aircraft conceptual design sizing and optimization. / QC 20101104 / SimSAC

A numerical simulation for evaluating methods of predicting and controlling the response of an elastic wing in an airstream is discussed. The technique employed interactively and simultaneously solves for the response in the time domain by considering the air, wing, and controller as elements of a single dynamical system. The method is very modular, allowing independent modifications to the aerodynamic, structural, or control subsystems and it is not restricted to periodic motions or simple geometries. To illustrate the technique, we use a High Altitude, Long Endurance aircraft wing. The wing is modeled structurally as a linear Euler-Bernoulli beam that includes dynamic coupling between the bending and torsional oscillations. The governing equations of motion are derived and extended to allow for rigid-body motions of the wing. The exact solution to the unforced linear problem is discussed as well as a Galerkin and finite-element approximations. The finite-element discretization is developed and used for the simulations. A general, nonlinear, unsteady vortex-lattice method, which is capable of simulating arbitrary subsonic maneuvers of the wing and accounts for the history of the motion, is employed to model the flow around the wing and provide the aerodynamic loads. Two methods of incorporating gusts in the aerodynamic model are also discussed. Control of the wing is effected via a distributed torque actuator embedded in the wing and two strategies for actuating the wing are described: a classical linear proportional integral strategy and a novel nonlinear feedback strategy based on the phenomenon of saturation that may exist in nonlinear systems with two-to-one internal resonances. Both control strategies can suppress the flutter oscillations of the wing, but the nonlinear controller must be actively tuned to be effective; gust control proved to be more difficult. / Master of Science

The nonlinear interactions between aerodynamic forces and wing structures are numerically investigated as integrated dynamic systems, including structural models, aerodynamics, and control systems, in the time domain. An elastic beam model coupled with rigid-body rotation is developed for the wing structure, and the natural frequencies and mode shapes are found by the finite-element method. A general unsteady vortex-lattice method is used to provide aerodynamic forces. This method is verified by comparing the numerical solutions with the experimental results for several cases; and thereafter applied to several applications such as the inboard-wing/twin-fuselage configuration, and formation flights. The original thought that the twin fuselage could achieve two-dimensional flow on the wing by eliminating free wing tips appears to be incorrect. The numerical results show that there can be a lift increase when two or more wings fly together, compared to when they fly alone. Flutter analysis is carried out for a High-Altitude-Long-Endurance aircraft wing cantilevered from the wall of the wind tunnel, a full-span wing mounted on a free-to-roll sting at its mid-span without and with a center mass (fuselage). Numerical solutions show that the rigidity added by the wall results in a higher flutter speed for the wall-mounted semi-model than that for the full-span model. In addition, a predictive control technique based on neural networks is investigated to suppress flutter oscillations. The controller uses a neural network model to predict future plant responses to potential control signals. A search algorithm is used to select the best control input that optimizes future plant performance. The control force is assumed to be given by an actuator that can apply a distributed torque along the spanwise direction of the wing. The solutions with the wing-tip twist or the wing-tip deflection as the plant output show that the flutter oscillations are successfully suppressed with the neural network predictive control scheme. / Ph. D.

This thesis describes the development of a nonlinear flight dynamics model for a small, fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Models developed for UAVs can be used for many applications including risk analysis, controls system design and flight simulators. Several challenges exist for system identification of small, low-cost aircraft including an increased sensitivity to atmospheric disturbances and decreased data quality from a cost-appropriate instrumentation system. These challenges result in difficulties in development of the model structure and parameter estimation. The small size may also limit the scope of flight test experiments and the consequent information content of the data from which the model is developed. Methods are presented to improve the accuracy of system identification which include data selection, data conditioning, incorporation of information from computational aerodynamics and synthesis of information from different flight test maneuvers. The final parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis was developed from the time domain formulation of the output-error method using the fully nonlinear aircraft equations of motion and a nonlinear aerodynamic model structure. The methods discussed increased the accuracy of parameter estimates and lowered the uncertainty in estimates compared to standard procedures for parameter estimation from flight test data. The significant contributions of this thesis are a detailed explanation of the entire system identification process tailored to the needs of a small UAV and incorporation of unique procedures to enhance identification results. This work may be used as a guide and list of recommendations for future system identification efforts of small, low-cost, minimally instrumented, fixed-wing UAVs. / MS