Time Simulations of the Response of Maneuvering Flexible Aircraft

This work is concerned with time simulations of the response of flying flexible aircraft to initial conditions and external excitations, such as gusts. The simulations are based on a unified formulation of the problem of dynamics and control of maneuvering flexible aircraft developed recently by the authors. The formulation represents a seamless integration of pertinent material from the areas of analytical dynamics, structural dynamics, aerodynamics, and controls. It incorporates both the aircraft rigid-body motions and elastic deformations and it includes the aerodynamic, propulsion, gravity, and control forces, all in a rigorous manner. The formulation lends itself to efficient computer processing of the aircraft response. The formulation contains improvements over the earlier formulation by the authors in the form of a reduced-order structural model and newly designed, easier-to-implement controller and state observer. The corresponding time simulations are entirely new, and no similar results have been obtained by other investigators. The developments should help with the design of the new generation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and in particular with the design of autonomous UAVs controlled by autopilots.