Integrated flow control and power management for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft

适用于垂直起降 (VTOL) 飞机的集成流量控制和电源管理

• 批准号: 2441133
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Oxford
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2441133
• 关键词: Integrated; flow; control; power; management

Novel solutions, such as flying air taxis, are being proposed as a means to resolve intra-city and inter-city travel congestion using, often, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft configurations. Such vehicle configurations present unique flight control and aerodynamic challenges particularly during transition phase from hovering to horizontal flight. To achieve smooth transition and avoid aerodynamic stall requires smart coupling of propulsion with flight controls. This project investigates using active flow control to ensure correct operability of VTOL aircraft during transition from helicopter to airplane mode (and back), all whilst utilising minimum energy. The proposed research will develop further knowledge in the physics of the effects of active flow control in alleviating stall during VTOL transition, as well as novel design of integrated flight control and propulsion laws that utilise such flow control techniques to manage overall operability and efficiency of the aircraft. More specifically, fluid injection active flow control (AFC) has been applied experimentally to mitigate flow separation of an aerofoil at a high angle of attack (the angle between the aerofoil itself and the oncoming airflow) and to thus increase the angle at which the aerofoil stalls. However, there exists limited examples of this being controlled through closed-loop feedback and, additionally, no validation on a flying scaled model. Further, wind tunnel testing of the effectiveness of fluid injection AFC applied to a wing under the effects of a propeller's wake has not presently been done. This project has three primary objectives: 1. Investigate the use of open-loop and closed-loop fluidic flow control through a series of carefully controlled wind tunnel experiments; 2. Design a feedback control methodology that combines the use of classical flight control surfaces with active flow control and apply it to a tiltwing aircraft model. 3. Demonstrate the validity of such a combined approach on scaled tiltwing demonstrator aircraft throughout hover, cruise, and, particularly, transition from vertical to horizontal flight. The design, implementation, and demonstration of such a system would widen a design space for tiltwing aircraft and would contribute towards minimising energy use and maximising passenger comfort in emerging Urban Air Mobility markets. This project falls within the EPSRC's control engineering and fluid dynamics research areas.

新的解决方案，如飞行空中出租车，正被提出作为解决城市内和城市间交通拥堵的一种手段，通常使用垂直起降（VTOL）飞机配置。这样的飞行器配置提出了独特的飞行控制和空气动力学挑战，特别是在从悬停到水平飞行的过渡阶段。为了实现平稳过渡和避免气动失速，需要将推进与飞行控制智能耦合。该项目研究使用主动流量控制来确保垂直起降飞机在从直升机模式转换到飞机模式（以及返回）的过程中正确的可操作性，同时使用最小的能量。该研究将进一步发展主动流动控制在缓解垂直起降过渡期间失速的物理效果方面的知识，以及利用这种流动控制技术来管理飞机整体可操作性和效率的综合飞行控制和推进规律的新设计。更具体地说，流体喷射主动流动控制（AFC）已经在实验中应用，以减轻在大迎角（机翼本身与迎面流之间的角度）时机翼的流动分离，从而增加机翼失速的角度。然而，存在通过闭环反馈控制的有限示例，此外，没有在飞行比例模型上进行验证。此外，在螺旋桨尾流的影响下，流体喷射AFC应用于机翼的有效性的风洞测试目前还没有完成。本项目有三个主要目标：1。通过一系列精心控制的风洞实验，研究开环和闭环流体流动控制的使用；2. 设计一种反馈控制方法，将经典飞行控制表面与主动流控制相结合，并将其应用于倾转翼飞机模型。3. 通过悬停、巡航，特别是从垂直飞行到水平飞行的过渡，在比例倾斜演示飞机上演示这种组合方法的有效性。这种系统的设计、实施和演示将拓宽倾转飞机的设计空间，并有助于在新兴的城市空中交通市场中最大限度地减少能源使用和最大化乘客舒适度。该项目属于EPSRC的控制工程和流体动力学研究领域。