Aerodynamic Analysis, Dynamic Modeling, and Control of a Morphing Aircraft
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 32, Issue 5
Abstract
In this paper, a longitudinal dynamic model of a variable-sweep-wing morphing aircraft is proposed based on the Firebee unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), accounting for changes in aerodynamic and inertial properties. Wing geometries and aerodynamic performance are also analyzed in six morphing configurations. The eigenvalues, damping, and frequency are investigated within short-period and phugoid modes. In addition, a classic proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller is designed with different gains according to six morphing configurations. In three degrees of freedom (DOF) nonlinear simulations, the morphing aircraft maintains a straight and level flight in dash configuration at first and then changes to a loiter configuration at a fast and slow morphing rate. Except for the morphing moment caused by wing gravity, other morphing forces and moments can be ignored. Simulation results show that the designed controller works well with good trajectory-tracking performance, and a larger morphing rate leads to greater magnitudes in attitude, velocity, and altitude variations.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by NSAF (Grant No. U1730135). The authors thank Professor Huang Wei for his technical support.
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Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 32 • Issue 5 • September 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 3, 2018
Accepted: Feb 25, 2019
Published online: May 27, 2019
Published in print: Sep 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Oct 27, 2019
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