Validation of the FLIGHTLAB virtual engineering toolset

2018 ◽  
Vol 122 (1250) ◽  
pp. 519-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Du Val ◽  
C. He
Keyword(s):  
User Interfaces ◽  
Structural Control ◽  
Software Tool ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Flight Simulation ◽  
Virtual Engineering ◽  
Stability And Control ◽  
Test And Evaluation ◽  
Scripting Language ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACTAs simulation has become an integral part of the overall life-cycle support of aircraft, the need for effective Virtual Engineering (VE) tools to support these activities has increased. FLIGHTLAB is a state-of-the-art, aircraft modelling and simulation software tool, that has been designed to address this need and is widely used in rotorcraft design, analysis, test and evaluation, and full-flight simulation applications. This VE tool supports the development and analysis of both fixed and rotary wing aircraft with an extensive library of modelling components which have been successfully used and validated in numerous, real-world applications. These components provide comprehensive modelling of aerodynamic, structural, control and propulsion disciplines. Analyses include performance, dynamic response, stability and control, airloads, and structural loads. Graphical User Interfaces and an interactive scripting language provide user-friendly operation. This paper describes the capabilities and validation activities that have been undertaken to support the development of the commercial VE toolset FLIGHTLAB over the last 20 years and discusses future rotorcraft challenges that could be addressed by enhancements to current generation VE tools.

Rotorcraft Lateral-Directional Oscillations: The Anatomy of a Nuisance Mode

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dheeraj Agarwal ◽  
Linghai Lu ◽  
Gareth D. Padfield ◽  
Mark D. White ◽  
Neil Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Model ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Flight Test ◽  
Flight Simulation ◽  
Stability And Control ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Control Derivatives ◽  
Research Aircraft ◽  
Level Of Understanding ◽  
And Control

High-fidelity rotorcraft flight simulation relies on the availability of a quality flight model that further demands a good level of understanding of the complexities arising from aerodynamic couplings and interference effects. One such example is the difficulty in the prediction of the characteristics of the rotorcraft lateral-directional oscillation (LDO) mode in simulation. Achieving an acceptable level of the damping of this mode is a design challenge requiring simulation models with sufficient fidelity that reveal sources of destabilizing effects. This paper is focused on using System Identification to highlight such fidelity issues using Liverpool's FLIGHTLAB Bell 412 simulation model and in-flight LDO measurements from the bare airframe National Research Council's (Canada) Advanced Systems Research Aircraft. The simulation model was renovated to improve the fidelity of the model. The results show a close match between the identified models and flight test for the LDO mode frequency and damping. Comparison of identified stability and control derivatives with those predicted by the simulation model highlight areas of good and poor fidelity.

Flight Simulation for Research

1964 ◽  
Vol 68 (646) ◽  
pp. 645-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Perry ◽  
J. M. Naish
Keyword(s):  
Flight Simulation ◽  
Simulation Studies ◽  
Aircraft Control ◽  
Motion Cues ◽  
Stability And Control ◽  
Research Problems ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Aircraft Stability And Control ◽  
Vtol Aircraft

SummarySome of the uses of ground based flight simulation as a research tool to aid the design of new aircraft and their equipment are described. The function of the simulator is to provide a method for investigating humon flying tasks in the laboratory, so that the relationship between the pilot's capabilities and the equipment's characteristics can be systematically studied. The paper is presented in two parts describing recent work on two research simulators at the RAE.Part I deals with the use of simulation for studying aircraft stability and control characteristics. The equipment used at RAE for this work is described, with particular emphasis on methods of presenting to the pilot a simulated view of the outside world, and for reproducing some of the motion cues which he experiences in flight. Experimental evidence of the importance of these simulation cues when making aircraft control assessments is also presented. Several examples of simulation studies into the control of conventional and VTOL aircraft are given, to illustrate the type of research problems in this field which may be tackled and the techniques involved in solving them.

NPSNET: Flight Simulation Dynamic Modeling Using Quaternions

1992 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Cooke ◽  
Michael J. Zyda ◽  
David R. Pratt ◽  
Robert B. McGhee
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Euler Angle ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Flight Simulation ◽  
High Data ◽  
Stability And Control ◽  
Data Rates ◽  
And Control

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) has actively explored the design and implementation of networked, real time, three-dimensional battlefield simulations on low-cost, commercially available graphics workstations. The most recent system, NPSNET, has improved in functionality to such an extent that it is considered a low-cost version of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's (DARPA) SIMNET system. To reach that level, it was necessary to economize in certain areas of the code so that real time performance occurred at an acceptable level. One of those areas was in aircraft dynamics. However, with “off-the-shelf” computers becoming faster and cheaper, real-time and realistic dynamics are no longer an expensive option. Realistic behavior can now be enhanced through the incorporation of an aerodynamic model. To accomplish this task, a prototype flight simulator was built that is capable of simulating numerous types of aircraft simultaneously within a virtual world. Besides being easily incorporated into NPSNET, such a simulator also provides the base functionality for the creation of a general purpose aerodynamic simulator that is particularly useful to aerodynamics students for graphically analyzing differing aircraft's stability and control characteristics. This system is designed for use on a Silicon Graphics workstation and uses the GL libraries. A key feature of the simulator is the use of quaternions for aircraft orientation representation to avoid singularities and high data rates associated with the more common Euler angle representation of orientation.

Development of a Jacobian Module for Advanced Pulp and Paper Simulation and Control

TAPPI Journal ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-11
Author(s):  
MOHAMED CHBEL ◽  
LUC LAPERRIÈRE
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Nonlinear Behavior ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Pulp And Paper ◽  
Pid Controllers ◽  
Tuning Parameters ◽  
Pid Tuning ◽  
Fixed Set ◽  
And Control ◽  
Operating Points

Pulp and paper processes frequently present nonlinear behavior, which means that process dynam-ics change with the operating points. These nonlinearities can challenge process control. PID controllers are the most popular controllers because they are simple and robust. However, a fixed set of PID tuning parameters is gen-erally not sufficient to optimize control of the process. Problems related to nonlinearities such as sluggish or oscilla-tory response can arise in different operating regions. Gain scheduling is a potential solution. In processes with mul-tiple control objectives, the control strategy must further evaluate loop interactions to decide on the pairing of manipulated and controlled variables that minimize the effect of such interactions and hence, optimize controller’s performance and stability. Using the CADSIM Plus™ commercial simulation software, we developed a Jacobian sim-ulation module that enables automatic bumps on the manipulated variables to calculate process gains at different operating points. These gains can be used in controller tuning. The module also enables the control system designer to evaluate loop interactions in a multivariable control system by calculating the Relative Gain Array (RGA) matrix, of which the Jacobian is an essential part.

Nonlinear analysis of stability and control for an F-16 configuration

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongjun Wang ◽  
Zhidai He ◽  
C. Lan ◽  
Zhongjun Wang ◽  
Zhidai He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nonlinear Analysis ◽  
Stability And Control ◽  
Analysis Of Stability ◽  
And Control

Designing Stability and Control Augmentation Systems Using Genetic Algorithms

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashraf Omran ◽  
Mohamed Elshabasy ◽  
Wael Mokhtar ◽  
Brett Newman ◽  
Mohamed Gharib
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Algorithms ◽  
Stability And Control ◽  
And Control
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