In-flight non-intrusive measurement of wing dynamics and of the aileron and flap deflection and deformation

Henk W. Jentink, Netherlands Aerospace Centre NLR, The Netherlands
Pavel Růžička, EVEKTOR, Czech Republic
Henk P.J. Veerman, Netherlands Aerospace Centre NLR, The Netherlands
Jan H. Breeman ,Netherlands Aerospace Centre NLR, The Netherlands

Abstract

New measurement capabilities are provided for in-flight aircraft wing deformation applying the Image Pattern Correlation Technique. The motion of the wing and of the movable parts of the wing can be determined relative to a reference form with high spatial resolution, bandwidth and accuracy. Instrumentation comprises a video camera and a speckled pattern on the wing section under investigation making the installation easy. The technology to determine the deflection and deformation of an aileron and the capability to measure wing dynamics is presented. Flight test campaigns were flown with the EVEKTOR Cobra and the NLR Fairchild Metro II to investigate the measurement capabilities. The results demonstrate that the IPCT method is promising for application in flutter tests, that dynamic features of the wing can be measured and that the aileron deflections and deformations can be measured. Finally a software tool providing a Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed to improve the efficiency of applying IPCT further and to improve the user friendliness. The GUI guides Flight Test Engineers through the processing of images in an interactive manner.