Airplane Pitch Stability Control
Work on an experiment that will better help control the pitch of an airplane via a joystick.
Project description
Pilot-induced oscillation is a frightening aspect of pitch control of an aircraft. Numerous planes have been set into pilot-induced oscillation due to the phase lag of the human in the loop control. The proposed work is to develop a table top experiment to demonstrate pitch control of an aircraft using a commercial off the shelf joystick. A programmable delay is inserted between the joystick and the aircraft to illustrate the impact phase delays have on the stability of the human-in-the-loop controller.
This work requires knowledge of system stability analysis, hardware integration and Arduino programming to integrate the joystick with a microcontroller which drives a motor which actuates the airplane model.
Project outcome
Tabletop experiment to illustrate the impact of phase delays in stability of closed loop systems. This can serve as a demonstration in an introductory class on control.
Project details
| Length of commitment | About a semester, 3-5 months |
| Start time | Spring semester |
| In-person, remote, or hybrid? | Hybrid |
| Level of collaboration | Individual student project |
| Benefits | Research experience |
| Who is eligible | Seniors with experience in Ardunio and Matlab programming |
Project mentor
Tarunraj Singh
Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Start the project
- Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
- After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.)
Preparation activities
Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase.
- Watch this video showing an example of pilot-induced oscillations.
- After initially contacting Dr. Singh, you will set up a video call to ensure you have the necessary hardware integration background.
Keywords
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering