Roll motion control of a dissymmetrical wingspan aircraft

• Main Author: Tavares, Filipe Miguel Tanqueiro
• Publication Date: 2011
• Format: Master thesis
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/3648
• topic: Aeronave; Controlador de aeronave - Asa dissimétrica; Controlador de aeronave - Envergadura variável; Controlador robusto; Controlo do rolamento; Controlador Batz-Kleinman

The present study focuses on the design of a controller for an unmanned aircraft using a variable-span dissymmetric system. This is primarily intended to stabilize roll, although it was designed as a robust system for total control. The system in use is new in its application, being studied similar aircraft built to date. The aircraft for which the system has been designed is an experimental UAV built entirely at the University of Beira Interior. The stability derivatives and other data were obtained with the help of XFLR software. The development and simulation were done using MATLAB, where were tested two different control methods, LQR and Batz-Kleinman controller. A review of the flight dynamics equations for a standard aircraft was originally done, being then adapted this new concept. The interaction between the control surfaces and the response of a general aircraft was studied. An implementation of predetermined flying qualities in order to scale the state weight matrix in the LQR controller for optimal levels was also performed. At the end three separate simulations were performed to confirm the validity of the theoretical system in control and stabilization, for leveled flight when suffering disturbances, and for various equilibrium states described by a sinusoidal equation and a random variation.