Dynamics modeling and simulation of flexible airships

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Dynamics modeling and simulation of flexible airships

Li, Yuwen / Nahon, Meyer / Sharf, Inna

A new dynamics modeling approach is proposed for flexible airships, which integrates the flight dynamics, structural dynamics, aerostatics, and aerodynamics. In particular, a comprehensive aerodynamic computation is presented, including the potential-flow aerodynamics, the viscous effects, the forces on the fins, the forces on the hull due to the fins, and the axial drag. The coupling between flexibility and aerodynamics is incorporated through the local velocity of the deformed airship. The resulting dynamics model is represented by a single set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, describing the rigid-body motion, the elastic deformation, and the coupling between them. This model has been implemented and used to simulate the Skyship-500 airship. Simulation results demonstrate the effects of structural flexibility on the aerodynamic and dynamic characteristics of the vehicle. These results reveal that strong coupling exists between the roll rotation and the bending deflection in the lateral plane, and that the natural frequencies of the airship in air are much lower than those in vacuum. In addition, the nonlinear dynamics model is numerically linearized to investigate the aeroelastic stability of the airship.