Real-Time Hybrid Testing of Strut-Braced Wing Under Aerodynamic Loading Using an Electrodynamic Actuator

Abstract

Real-Time Hybrid Simulation (RTHS) is an experimental framework that allows the testing of components or substructures under realistic, dynamic boundary conditions, by imposing the reactions calculated from a model of the rest of the assembly through one or more actuators. In the context of rapid prototyping of mechanical components, RTHS could be used to explore the design space of a device while at the same time physically validating its interaction with other components of the final assembly from the early stages of the design-to-production cycle.In this work, RTHS was applied for the first time to the investigation of aerodynamic gust loading alleviation devices in a highly flexible strut-braced wing. The model wing was taken as the physical substructure and tested in a low-speed wind tunnel equipped with gust generators. The load alleviation device was simulated through a real-time feedforward-feedback controller, and its response imposed via an electro-mechanical

Hybrid Testing of a Cantilever Beam with Two Controlled Degrees of Freedom

“…For this reason, a major area of research in the RTHT literature is concerned with the design of sophisticated control schemes able to compensate for the delays and lags in the experiment. However, these strategies are not only cumbersome to implement, but also require the identification of each component of the control system and thus depend on the particular rig setup at hand [6]. Moreover, as discussed in [10], a controller optimised for a certain PS might no longer be optimal for a different one, even if the control system stays the same due to the so-called control structure interaction (CSI).…”

“…Large structures that do not fit in the experimental facility can then be tested under such a hybrid paradigm. Moreover, the parameters of the numerical substructure can easily be modified, and so reproduce different environments or explore a certain design space in which the critical component must be tested [6].…”