Affiliated faculty

Antônio B. Guimarães Neto

Ekkehard C. F. Schubert

Flávio L. Cardoso Ribeiro

Flávio L. de S. Bussamra

Guilherme Soares e Silva

Mauricio A. V. Morales

Roberto Gil A. da Silva

Vitor Gabriel Kleine

Students

• Arthur Fava Netto, undergrad intern;

• Diego Bonkowski de la Sierra Audiffred, post-doctorate researcher;

• Guilherme Hiroiti Gomes Miyadaira, MSc researcher;

• João Gabriel de Souza Ribeiro de Sá, MSc candidate;

• Jorge Henrique de Paula Ramos, undergrad intern;

• Juliano Alberto Paulino, post-doctorate researcher;

• Leonardo Barros da Luz, doctorate candidate;

• Lucas Henrique Bastos Oliveira, MSc candidate;

• Marcelo Júnio Assunção Bandeira, MSc candidate;

• Pedro Henrique Granero Chiarelli, MSc researcher;

• Tulio Campos Menezes, MSc researcher;

• Vitor Borges Santos, doctorate candidate;

Funding source

FINEP/Embraer project entitled “Advanced Studies in Flight physics and Control” (2023-2026)

FINEP project CAPTAER III (partial funding)

Description

Overview

The Advanced Studies in Flight Physics and Control project focuses on developing innovative flight control laws for flexible aircraft, where structural flexibility significantly influences flight dynamics. Traditional control design approaches often rely on filtering or decoupling aeroelastic effects, but this project explores alternative methods that leverage real-time aeroelastic feedback to enhance aircraft stability and performance.

Future generations of aircraft will feature increasingly slender and flexible wings to improve aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel consumption, ultimately lowering emissions. However, this increased flexibility can lead to aeroelastic effects that degrade ride comfort or even compromise structural integrity if not properly accounted for in aircraft design and control system development.

Objectives

The project aims to:

🔹 Develop and validate high-fidelity computational models for flexible aircraft dynamics.

🔹 Design robust flight control laws that actively account for aeroelastic interactions without relying on notch filters.

🔹 Integrate aeroelastic response sensors into the aircraft control system.

🔹 Conduct hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations for real-time validation of control algorithms.

🔹 Perform experimental flight tests using a flexible remotely piloted aircraft platform.

Impact

By advancing flight dynamics modeling and control methodologies, this project contributes to the development of next-generation fuel-efficient aircraft with enhanced stability and safety. The results will benefit both academia and industry, strengthening Brazil’s aerospace sector and its competitiveness in sustainable aviation.