Tuning Flap Control Authority from High-Fidelity, Coupled CFD/RBD Virtual Fly-Outs
Abstract
Several methods are applied to tune the zero angle-of-attack (AoA) force and moment contribution of a trailing edge flap actuator on a projectile with strongly roll-dependent aerodynamics. Rather than relying on force/moment predictions from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in steady flight conditions, a coupled CFD/RBD simulation is used to predict the vehicle response over time to frequency-rich, independent input signals on all four actuators. The actuator positions, predicted forces, and moments are processed through a custom regression algorithm that sorts the inputs and regressors into 16 bins based on aerodynamic bank. The zero AoA force and moment contribution of each flap is estimated at each of the 16 bank angles resulting in 64 estimates of each coefficient at each flight condition. These 64 estimates are used to determine a harmonic model of the corresponding force/moment term over a full roll cycle. The amplitudes of the resulting harmonic models are used to tune the corresponding amplitudes in the existing aerodynamic model.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1180070
Entities
People
- Benjamin Gruenwald
- Bradley T. Burchett
- Jubaraj Sahu
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory