An Experimental Approach to a Rapid Propulsion and Aeronautics Concepts Testbed
An Experimental Approach to a Rapid Propulsion and Aeronautics Concepts Testbed
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快速推进和航空概念测试台的实验方法
DOI：
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发表时间：
2020
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通讯作者：
R. Rhew
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作者：
Robert G. McSwain;Steven C. Geuther;Gregory Howland;M. D. Patterson;Siena Whiteside;D. North;L. Glaab;R. Rhew
现代飞机设计工具在预测复杂的推进-机体相互作用方面存在局限性。基于许多最近为城市空中机动性（UAM）市场开发的分布式电力推进（DEP）垂直起降（VTOL）概念，对解决这些限制的新工具和方法的需求很高。我们建议，低成本的电子产品和增材制造可以支持先进的概念设计的概念，通过促进快速原型实验驱动的设计周期。这种方法有可能降低复杂的飞机概念开发成本，最大限度地减少与概念设计相关的独特风险，并通过在设计过程的早期确定许多“未知的未知数”和提供飞机设计工具的结果验证来缩短开发进度。设计并建造了一个模块化试验台，以评估这种快速设计-建造-测试方法，并支持针对UAM应用的航空和自主研究，这些应用利用复杂的过渡VTOL飞机配置。该试验台是一个模块化的风洞和飞行模型。试验台机身大约80%是印刷的，需要人工进行组装。本文介绍了概念验证飞机--兰利8号机场（LA-8）的设计过程、制造过程、地面试验和初始风洞结构载荷和热载荷。
Modern aircraft design tools have limitations for predicting complex propulsion-airframe interactions. The demand for new tools and methods addressing these limitations is high based on the many recent Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) concepts being developed for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) markets. We propose that low cost electronics and additive manufacturing can support the conceptual design of advanced autonomy-enabled concepts, by facilitating rapid prototyping for experimentally driven design cycles. This approach has the potential to reduce complex aircraft concept development costs, minimize unique risks associated with the conceptual design, and shorten development schedule by enabling the determination of many "unknown unknowns" earlier in the design process and providing verification of the results from aircraft design tools. A modular testbed was designed and built to evaluate this rapid design-build-test approach and to support aeronautics and autonomy research targeting UAM applications utilizing a complex, transitioning-VTOL aircraft configuration. The testbed is a modular wind tunnel and flight model. The testbed airframe is approximately 80% printed, with labor required for assembly. This paper describes the design process, fabrication process, ground testing, and initial wind tunnel structural and thermal loading of a proof-of-concept aircraft, the Langley Aerodrome 8 (LA-8).