Overview
In order to investigate gust loads and control them on aircrafts, wind tunnel test research must be conducted. In this project, a gust generator and a wing model with control surfaces for these tests was designed and manufactured to contribute to a means of research for wind tunnel activities. Before generating this hardware, a full CAD structural design was necessary.
These parts were manufactured using an innovative optimised metallic and composite structure for the low weight and inertia required for the test. Aviation Design is an SME with a long tradition in structural mechanics, CAD drawings, aerodynamics research & testing, and composite / metallic building. Consequently, our customers come from areas where all aspects of our knowledge and expertise are needed, which are among the aviation industry, on civilian and military research projects.
Aviation Design can therefore draw on long years of experience in the field required here:
- In wind tunnel making models for ONERA S4 and L2 wind tunnels. We conducted a full wind tunnel campaign in S4 for a major aerospace company with a composite / metal model.
- In composite structure making parts and components since 1993 for UAV and aeronautical industry, research centres, university and model airplane industry.
- In structural and aeronautical CAD design as subcontractor for UAV for aerospace companies.
Aviation Design started with a detailed analysis of the design problem of a light weight low inertia and strong structure, proposed and discussed solutions with the SFWA partners and built a composite / metallic structure, using a modern, state of the art parts which promised a high level of quality for the design.
All relevant steps were performed in close cooperation with the SFWA partners, in order to ensure that all input for the project is accounted for.
This project was directly involved in Smart Wing Technologies in active gust load control. Gust load control solutions helped to create new innovative wing concepts and reduce structural weight for aircraft to reduce the environmental impact of air transport. The impact of the wind tunnel tests helped to develop breakthrough technologies to reduce the environmental impact of air transport and also to improve aircraft ride comfort and safety
Funding
Results
Executive Summary:
For transport type aircraft, gust loads are most critical for the wing’s strength design and structural fatigue. For investigating novel control approaches to gust load alleviation, experimental tests on selected technologies or reference model demonstrator have to be conducted. In the framework of SFWA Work Package 1.2., an experimental roadmap was launched by ONERA and was based on three Wind Tunnel Tests performed in the ONERA’s Meudon Center’s S3Ch transonic WT facility.
The main objective of the work was to dispose of an experimental research tool in order to generate representative perturbations (gust load) for wind tunnel conditions up to transonic conditions. As a result of a Call For Proposal, the works under consideration were realized through a closed collaboration between ONERA and Aviation Design and there were recurrent interactions between the partners (work progress, reviews and deliveries). At the end of the project, the scientific and technical works have allowed the design, the manufacturing and the qualification of this research experimental set-up. In particular, the skills and the knowledges of Aviation Design have enabled the design and the manufacturing of innovative and optimised architectures using metal and composite technologies.
The experimental research tool is composed of two main items:
- the so called “gust generator” which enables the generation of a bidimensional gust field whose properties are actively remote controlled and whose magnitudes are significant to induce aerodynamic effects
- the bidimensional aeroelastic model which enables through several WTT the acquisition of a large and relevant database for a variety of configuration and study cases (air foil transonic aerodynamic in presence of gust, air foil aeroelasticity in presence of gust, control surface efficiency with gust)
As a result, the experimental research tool composed of the gust generator and the aeroelastic model was intensively investigated in 2014 during several Wind Tunnel Tests within the final objective to demonstrate the active gust load alleviation.