Aeroservoelastic flight testing platform development for system identification

Abstract

Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) and Delft University of Technology (TUD) have obtained an unmanned aerial vehicle to serve as a test platform for future aeroservoelastic flight testing. The purpose of this testbed is to collect data about flexible aircraft flight dynamic responses and loads on the aircraft at unsteady airflow conditions for flexible aircraft system identification. An overview of the 1:3 scaled Diana 2 glider is presented together with numerous tests that were conducted to characterise the test platform. Moment of inertia of the aircraft was determined using a pendulum and rotational swing setup, control surface dynamics were identified from sine sweeps and the structural modes and frequencies were obtained from a ground vibration test. Finally, a low cost and modular data acquisition system was built to collect all the sensor measurements. This data acquisition system is presented together with an overview of its performance.