Parametric investigation\of mini-tab for load alleviation

This thesis investigates a novel load alleviation technique known as mini-tabs, small devices placed on the upper surface of wings to reduce lift. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations were conducted to analyze the impact of geometrical properties on mini-tab performance in reducing the load on a wing.<br/><br/>The initial...

Flexible Composite Propeller Design for Optimized Performance in Propulsive and Regenerative Operating Conditions

The ever-growing aerospace industry's urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has ignited a surge of interest in hybrid or fully electric propulsion systems. The electrification of aircraft introduces the possibility for energy to be recovered during phases of flight where no power input is required, and previous research has demonstrated...

A Lean Testing Methodology for the Inertia Parameters of Small Rocket Stages

This thesis presents the development, analysis, and testing of a comprehensive testing methodology for determining the mass, Center of Gravity (CoG), and principal Moments of Inertia (MoI) of small rocket stages. The methodology comprises five sequential tests, encompassing both static and dynamic procedures. The two static tests introduce...

Safe Flutter Determination for Wings Undergoing Large Deflections: Experimental Application of the Parametric Flutter Margin Method to a Highly Flexible Wing

The flight tests which are part of the certification procedure that prove that no flutter occurs within the flight envelope are fraught with risk. To reduce the risk, numerous numerical analyses, wind tunnel and ground tests are performed, which together with the flight tests result in a long and costly test programme.<br/><br/>To reduce the...

Multirotor Whirl Flutter: A semi-analytical approach

In the last few years, a new aircraft configuration has been developed: the electric Vertical Take-off/Landing aircraft (eVTOL). To improve aircraft efficiency, structures are lighter and more flexible. Due to the structure's flexible nature and the use of propellers for propulsion, eVTOL are prone to whirl flutter, which consists of a dynamic...

Aerodynamic load evaluation on a highly flexible wing by Lagrangian Particle Tracking

The technical advancements achieved during the last decade have permitted the implementation of low-fidelity numerical methods to analyze simplified aeroelastic problems. However, the available computational power is still incapable of dealing with more realistic events involving complex structural dynamics and flow regimes. For this reason,...

An experimental study on flared folding wingtips: Effects of wing stiffness, aeroelastic tailoring and hinge release threshold on gust load alleviation performance

The flared folding wingtip (FFWT) is a concept presented by Airbus to increase the aerodynamic efficiency and provide a means of load alleviation. A gate-to-gate demonstration of this concept has already been presented with the AlbatrossONE, a scaled aircraft featuring the FFWT concept. In this demonstration, the aircraft fold the wingtips...

Development of an Aeroservoelastic Platform: From Concept to Final Product

With the increased focus on sustainability, aircraft are designed to reduce their emissions. One way to accomplish this is by increasing the wing aspect ratio, thereby increasing the aerodynamic efficiency, however this is not without consequences. Increased aspect ratio wings have a higher structural mass, are more susceptible to gust and...

Design and Analysis of a Distributed TRIC concept Seamless Smart Morphing Wing

This thesis embarked upon establishing and validating a design process to build and control a distributed TRIC concept seamless smart morphing wing to achieve simultaneous load alleviation, flutter suppression and drag minimization capabilities. A novel aeroelastic simulation tool was built to carry out composite wing skin optimization, with...

Development of a Gust Generator for a Low Speed Wind Tunnel

Aeroelastic analysis of a 3D wing structure with a flexible trailing edge

Aeroelastic analyses traditionally consider the airfoil of a wing to remain rigid, only allowing deformation in the span-wise direction of the wing. Recent investigations have shown the benefits of adding chord-wise flexibility in the trailing edge of a wing, however so far only two-dimensional studies have been carried out. Therefore, the...

Thickness-Tailored Flexible Airfoil for Improved Aeroelastic Stability Behaviour

The general trend in the aerospace industry is to optimise lightweight and highly flexible wing structures made of composite materials. This flexibility gives rise to static and dynamic aeroelastic instability problems. Research by Kim and Lee, Murua et al., and Drazumeric et al. have proven that chord-wise flexibility has a significant effect...