Abstract
ABSTRACTFlight testing is both vital for collecting data for aeronautic research and at the same time fascinating for its contributors. Taking a glider as a versatile test bed example, this paper presents a transnational measurement campaign within the framework of a collaborative project funded by the European Commission. This project Advanced In-Flight Measurement Techniques 2 (AIM²) is a follow-up of Advanced In-Flight Measurement Techniques (AIM) and dedicated to developing and enhancing promising optical metrology for various flight test applications up to an industrial level.The Image Pattern Correlation Technique (IPCT) and infrared thermography (IRT) are two of these modern non-intrusive measurement methods that were further developed and applied to the glider test bed within the scope of AIM². Focusing on optical deformation measurements with IPCT the experimental setup, the flight testing and results are summarily discussed. Gliders are not commonly used flight test platforms, which is why this contribution concludes with some lessons learned in general and especially related to the presented application. The experience to be shared with the flight testing community addresses equipment preparation, data collection and processing as well as how to meet official requirements and perform test flight operations in a dense controlled airspace.
Highlights
Aircraft design has been divided into fixed, well-established phases and development steps
This paper presents the outcomes of a flight test campaign in Advanced In-Flight Measurement Techniques 2 (AIM2) concerning application of Image Pattern Correlation Technique (IPCT) for wing deformation measurements on a composite training glider as a source of numerical data for finite element method (FEM) calculations
The images recorded in flight were of good quality in terms of illumination, pattern reflectance and contrast, which is a vital requirement for a reliable IPCT evaluation
Summary
Aircraft design has been divided into fixed, well-established phases and development steps. One of the scientific tasks within AIM2 was to create a feedback between real measured in-flight structure deformations of an aircraft and corresponding numerical stress and strain calculations received during the preliminary design phase. The tools used for structure deformation measurements in flight conditions was the image-based IPCT method; for numerical structure design, the finite element method (FEM) was used. This paper presents the outcomes of a flight test campaign in AIM2 concerning application of IPCT for wing deformation measurements on a composite training glider as a source of numerical data for FEM calculations. The main purpose of the glider testing presented in this contribution lies in proving IPCT under conditions never tried before with limited space and power on an aircraft taken straight from the hangar This experiment is intended to be a representative example of an engineering application scenario. The last sections are focused on the future work and lessons learned from this research program
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