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Attitude Control Enhancement Using Distributed Wing Load Sensing for Dynamic Servoelastic Control

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX14CD18C
Agency Tracking Number: 120017
Amount: $749,466.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: T4.02
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2012
Award Year: 2014
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2014-09-12
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2016-09-11
Small Business Information
13766 Hawthorne Boulevard
Hawthorne, CA 90250-7083
United States
DUNS: 028281020
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Peter Thompson
 Chief Scientist
 (310) 679-2281
 pthompson@systemstech.com
Business Contact
 Thomas Myers
Title: Business Official
Phone: (310) 679-2281
Email: exec@systemstech.com
Research Institution
 University of Florida
 Roslyn Heath
 
339 Weil Hall
Gainsville, FL 32611
United States

 (352) 392-9447
 Domestic Nonprofit Research Organization
Abstract

Strain sensor information is used in nature to achieve robust flight, good rejection of wind disturbances, and stable head motion. Similar man-made sensing devices will be used to demonstrate flight control using Fly-by-Feel, with the overall objective of achieving similarly good performance with piloted and autonomous vehicles. The Phase I work demonstrated the feasibility of using strain sensor arrays for flight control applications. This was done using hardware testing on a wing in a laboratory setting. An important part of showing feasibility was the use of novel frequency domain identification techniques, which were used to identify both modal frequencies and strain mode shapes. The proposed work will develop the ACES system: Attitude Control Enhancement using Strain sensors using both wind tunnel and flight test demonstrations. Acceleration feedback is known to improve the gust disturbance rejection, and the same will be demonstrated in an active control experiment using strain sensors in a wind tunnel. A second experiment will be conducted using a different and more flexible wing to demonstrate active control of shape. Modeling and simulation will be used to begin the transition of this technology to larger commercial vehicles.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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