A Computational Study of Thrust Vectoring Control Using Dual Throat Nozzle

Dual throat nozzle (DTN) is fast becoming a popular technique for thrust vectoring. The DTN is designed with two throats, an upstream minimum and a downstream minimum at the nozzle exit, with a cavity in between the upstream throat and exit. In the present study, a computational work has been carried out to analyze the performance of a dual throat nozzle at various mass flow rates of secondary flow and nozzle pressure ratios (NPR). Two-dimensional, steady, compressible Navier-Stokes equations were solved using a fully implicit finite volume scheme. The present computational results were validated with available experimental data. Based on the present results, the control effectiveness of thrust-vectoring is discussed in terms of the thrust coefficient and the coefficient of discharge.

INVESTIGATION OF FLIGHT DYNAMICS OF THRUST VECTORING AIRCRAFT USING EXTENDED CONTINUATION METHODS

This paper presents the flight dynamical behavior of the thrust vectoring aircraft with extended bifurcation and continuation methods. In contrast to the standard bifurcation and continuation methods, the extended methods are capable of calculating the continuation curves of the equilibrium points for the particular type of trimming flight. Therefore, these methods can not only give the performance measures of aircraft, but also determine the stability of trimming points. In this paper, the methods are used to verify the effectiveness of the thrust vectoring control law, to define the flight envelope boundary, to analyze the stability and controllability of trimming flight, and to predict the departures of the instable flight. The result shows that the extended methods provide more flight dynamic information and are useful in preliminary design of the thrust vectoring aircraft.

IMPROVEMENT OF AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OF SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT USING CANARD SURFACE WITH TVFC

The purpose of increasing the aerodynamic efficiency and enhancing the supermaneuverability for the selected supersonic aircraft is presented. Aerodynamic characteristics, the surface pressure distribution and the maximum lift are estimated for the baseline configuration for different Mach numbers and attack angles in subson- ic and supersonic potential flows, using a low-order three-dimensional panel method supported with the semi-empirical formulas of the data compendium （DATCOM）. Total nose-up and nose-down pitching moments about the center of gravity of the complete aircraft in the subsonic region depending on flight conditions and aircraft performance limitations are estimated. A software package is developed to implement the two-dimensional thrust vectoring flight control technique （pitch vectoring up and down） controlled by the advanced aerodynamic and control surface （the foreplane or the canard）. Results show that the canard with the thrust vectoring produces enough nose-down moment and can support the stabilizer at high maneuvers. The suggested surface can increase the aerodynamic efficiency （lift-to-drag ratio） of the baseline configuration by 5%-6% in subsonic and supersonic flight regimes.

SIMULATION RESEARCH OF ACTIVE VIBRATION CONTROL FOR ELASTIC MISSILE WITH SWING NOZZLE THRUST VECTOR CONTROL

Aiming at the deficiencies of notch filters on the aspect of vibration suppression for elastic missile with swing nozzle thrust vector control(SNTVC),an active vibration controller(AVC)is proposed.It is composed of an optimal state feedback controller(OSFC)and an optimal minimal order state observer(OMOSO),which can be respectively designed based on the separation principle.The design rules of these two elements are successively given.Computer simulation results present that AVC can realize strong vibration suppression and good convergence property after disturbing.Moreover,it has simple design and then it is easily implemented in engineering.In addition,the AVC scheme can also resolve the poor system stability to a great extent,which is resulted from the bad static stability of missile body.

PTVC-M for Ultra-Agile VTOL and 300+ km·h-1 Cruising

There remains a need to develop improved VTOL techniques that are cost-effective and with minimum compromise on cruising flight performance for fixed-wing aircraft. This work proposes an elegant VTOL control method known as PTVC-M (pitch-axis thrust vector control with moment arms) for tailsitters. The hallmark of the approach is the complete elimination of control surfaces such as elevators and rudder. Computer simulations with a 1580 mm wing span airplane reveal that the proposed technique results in authoritative control and unique maneuverability such as inverted vertical hover and stall-spin with positive climb rate. Zero-surface requirement of the PTVC-M virtually eliminates performance tradeoffs between VTOL and high-speed flight. In this proof-of-concept study, the VTOL-capable aircraft achieves a VH of 360 km·h-1 at near sea-level. The proposed technique will benefit a broad range of applications including high-performance spinsonde that can directly measure 10-m surface wind, tropical cyclone research, and possibly serving as the cornerstone for the next-generation sport aerobatics.