Wolfgang Luber (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company Military Air Systems MEG)
Title: Aeroservoelastic Design, Verification and Qualification for a Combat Aircraft
Abstract: Nowadays the design of an advanced digital flight control system development is based on an integrated design optimization process, which includes besides the modeling of the coupled system of the flight dynamics, the structural dynamics, the actuators of the control surfaces and the sensors as well as the as the effects of the digital control systems. The problem of structural interaction between the dynamic response of the airframe structure and the Flight Control System is usually solved with an appropriate set of notch filters, which are designed to attenuate the level of structure vibrations. The location of the FCS sensors must be optimized to avoid strong coupling between FCS and elastic structures. Fundamental part of the qualification of the notch filters is the structural coupling test on ground. Results from structural mode coupling investigations are presented which describe the design, the mathematical description, the structural coupling test, updating, verification and clearance of the theoretical mathematical model for an advanced digital flight control system. The paper also outlines design procedures, design and clearance requirements, test procedures and the correlation between mathematical model predictions and structural coupling tests as well as the aeroservoelastic model update based on ground and in flight structural coupling tests.