A method is presented for the in-flight optimization of the lift distribution across the wing for minimum drag of an aircraft in formation flight. The usual elliptical distribution that is optimal for a given wing with a given span is no longer optimal for the trailing wing in a formation due to the asymmetric nature of the encountered flow field. Control surfaces along the trailing edge of the wing can be configured to obtain a non-elliptical profile that is more optimal in terms of minimum combined induced and profile drag. Due to the difficult-to-predict nature of formation flight aerodynamics, a Newton-Raphson peak-seeking controller is used to identify in real time the best aileron and flap deployment scheme for minimum total drag. Simulation results show that the peak-seeking controller correctly identifies an optimal trim configuration that provides additional drag savings above those achieved with conventional anti-symmetric aileron trim.
Peak-Seeking Optimization of Spanwise Lift Distribution for Wings in Formation Flight
Guidance Navigation and Control Conference ; 2012 ; Minneapolis, MN, United States
2012-07-22
Conference paper
No indication
English
Peak-Seeking Optimization of Spanwise Lift Distribution for Wings in Formation Flight
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2012
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