Anagrafe della ricerca

Next generation of aerodynamically efficient slender and flexible aircraft wings used in composite civil aircrafts and unconventional configurations, such as High Altitude Long Endurance HALE-UAV, require extremely lightweight structural components capable of carrying considerable amount of non-structural weight. With the increased slenderness and flexibility, possible with the advent of advanced composites, these wings can exhibit aeroelastic instabilities quite different from their rigid counterparts. Consequently, one has to deal with phenomena not usually considered in classical aircraft design. Alternative design criteria are needed in order to maintain the safety levels imposed by the regulations and required for certification. The study of the nonlinear aeroservoelastic behaviour of these aircrafts is extremely complex and requires the integration of a variety of disciplines including solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, and controls. Only by integrating these disciplines is possible to develop a comprehensive model truly representative of the aircraft dynamics and its aeroservoelastic behaviour.The A2-Net-Team project aims to build a multi-disciplinary network of researchers with complementary expertise to develop analytical methods used for a better understanding and assessment of the factors contributing to the occurrence of critical aeroservoelastic instabilities. The test article will also provide the opportunity to modify and calibrate theoretical models, with the goal of showing the effect of theoretical approximation and their limits, and the necessity of model modifications and future investigations. A theoretical and experimental database will be created to describe the aeroelastic impacts and results from the programme. Future plans for aeroservoelastic testing will be also proposed and lesson learned during this projects will be instrumental for these studies.

• CEE - COMUNITÀ ECONOMICA EUROPEA -