In the last years, the number of studies of new aircraft concepts for the future aviation has increased a lot. These studies are powered by new demands of efficiency and performance for the so called green aircraft to reduce fuel burning and harmful emissions, and to save operation costs. Worldwide the concept of the green aircraft is being discussed, in different forums, for example the Horizon 2020, the European Framework Program for Research and Innovation, and the CleanSky Partnership between the European Commission and the Aeronautical Industry to reduce the future aviation’s impact on the environment.
At least in the short-term, the industry is walking toward higher aspect-ratio aircraft and the use of alternative (composite), lighter materials. As a direct consequence the aircraft becomes more flexible and the frequency range of the aeroelastic dynamics is pushed toward the range of the flight dynamics modes. Aeroservoelastic stability shall be an issue, and therefore, new methodologies for flight control law design of these flexible aircraft, taking into account the aeroelastic dynamics, are being pursued. Moreover, to expand the flight operational envelope, aeroelastic control plays a decisive role, and to reduce the impact of gust loads over the wing structure, a gust load alleviation system shall be required. A high-fidelity simulation tool of the flight physics is the key point to precisely access the flexible aircraft behavior, in both open and closed loop, and to save costs with flight testing. Real-time, high-fidelity simulation shall be reached improving computational efficiency, and is mandatory for the analysis of flying qualities, for instance the PIO due to the aeroelastic dynamics.
Current research lines:
Dynamics and control of highly flexible aircraft (X-HALE-BR)
Use of strain gauges for measurement and control of flexible aircraft (DinaFlex / Embraer)
Performance Analisys of Electric Aircraft
Flight dynamics and control of e-VTOL aircraft