Unmanned Air Systems: a Buttress to the Development of Greener, Leaner and Safer Aircraft

无人机系统：开发更环保、更精简、更安全的飞机的支柱

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-06034
• 负责人: Suleman, Afzal
• 金额: $ 4.66万
• 依托单位: University of Victoria
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=740990
• 关键词: Unmanned; Air; Systems; Buttress; Development

THE NEED: Air transport policies and aircraft manufacturers and operators demand for leaner, greener and safer aircraft transport systems as well as reduced development and operating costs has resulted in a need for a paradigm shift in aircraft design. The most promising approach to meet these targets is based on improving the global operational aircraft efficiency. To this end, the adoption of high aspect ratio configurations, lighter and tailored composites to increase payload, energy efficient propulsion systems, and advanced manufacturing has received considerable attention in the research community.  Despite the great technological improvements in the fields of emissions and noise reduction, similarities in both shape and configuration in current designs are evident because conventional configurations are optimized for cruise. Outside this range, aircraft performance is far from the optimal. Since the vast majority of commercial aircraft fly mostly in cruise, only with technology breakthroughs it will be possible to significantly increase efficiency. PROPOSED PROGRAM: The research program aims to improve the performance of complex multidisciplinary engineering systems through advances in mathematical and computational models, and experimental methods. The primary objective is to connect emerging mathematical models and enabling technologies with new designs and concepts of operations to achieve "Leaner, Greener and Safer" air transportation. From a greening perspective, aircraft propulsion technology is currently transitioning to cleaner, more efficient, and quieter solutions. Hybrid electric propulsion systems offer several potential benefits over conventional systems including a smaller environmental footprint, reduced fuel consumption, longer endurance and novel distributed propulsion architectures. The research program aims to develop models to quantify the performance of hybrid propulsion systems and validate and evaluate the computational models, first in a controlled laboratory setting, and finally test the architectures in flight using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). From a safety perspective, the research program will continue to focus on structural health monitoring of aircraft composite structures as a continuation of the preceding NSERC DG. It aims to develop structural health monitoring procedures using progressive fatigue damage models based on strain and thermoelastic measurements. BENEFITS: The proposed research program will exploit the knowledge, expertise and experimental facilities at the Center for Aerospace Research in `design, build, test and fly' of UAS to buttress the development of green and safe aviation and related technologies. The proposed scientific methods and processes are both leading-edge academically and balanced for potential near-term industrial applications. The program will also provide exciting opportunities for training of HQP in areas of critical importance to the Canadian aerospace sector.

需求：航空运输政策以及飞机制造商和运营商对更精简、更环保、更安全的飞机运输系统的需求，以及降低开发和运营成本的需求，导致了飞机设计范式的转变。实现这些目标最有希望的方法是提高全球作战飞机的效率。为此，采用高展弦比结构、更轻的定制复合材料来增加有效载荷、节能推进系统和先进制造技术已经受到了研究界的广泛关注。尽管在降低排放和噪音方面有了巨大的技术进步，但由于传统的配置是为巡航而优化的，因此当前设计中的形状和配置的相似性是显而易见的。在这个范围之外，飞机的性能远非最佳。由于绝大多数商用飞机大多以巡航方式飞行，只有在技术上取得突破，才有可能大幅提高效率。建议项目：该研究项目旨在通过数学和计算模型以及实验方法的进步来提高复杂多学科工程系统的性能。主要目标是将新兴的数学模型和使能技术与新的设计和运营概念联系起来，以实现“更精简、更环保、更安全”的航空运输。从环保的角度来看，飞机推进技术目前正在向更清洁、更高效、更安静的解决方案过渡。与传统系统相比，混合动力推进系统具有几个潜在的优势，包括更小的环境足迹、更低的燃料消耗、更长的续航时间和新颖的分布式推进架构。该研究项目旨在开发模型，量化混合动力推进系统的性能，并验证和评估计算模型，首先在受控的实验室环境中进行，最后使用无人机系统（UAS）在飞行中测试体系结构。从安全的角度来看，研究计划将继续关注飞机复合材料结构的结构健康监测，作为之前NSERC DG的延续。它的目的是利用基于应变和热弹性测量的渐进疲劳损伤模型开发结构健康监测程序。好处：拟议的研究计划将利用航空航天研究中心在无人机的“设计、建造、测试和飞行”方面的知识、专业知识和实验设施，以支持绿色和安全航空及相关技术的发展。所提出的科学方法和过程在学术上是领先的，在近期的工业应用中是平衡的。该计划还将为加拿大航空航天部门至关重要的领域的HQP培训提供令人兴奋的机会。