Working groups

The aerodynamic interactions between propellers and the wing will be investigated with respect to the flight mission dependency of the optimal propeller position and inclination. For each flight mission phase (start, climb, cruise, descent, landing) the different boundary conditions and criteria can lead to a different optimal setup of the MAPs. The performance can be quantified via numerical simulations. In addition, the EHPs will be investigated in both isolated and installed cases, e.g. the aerodynamic interactions between an EHP positioned at the wingtip and the wing.

Specific aerodynamic research questions are:

• How can a WTP be designed to also be effective as an EHP?
• How much energy harvesting potential do EHPs possess?
• Which aerodynamic effects can be observed on the MAP and the wing when the system is optimized for each individual flight mission phase?
• How much potential to reduce the primary energy of the entire flight mission do the two techologies (MAP and EHPs) offer?

Numerical methods to design or optimize the rotor system to reduce (MAP) and harvest energy (EHP) will be developed.

In addition, the following aeroacoustic research questions arise:

• What are the consequences of the propeller inclination on the noise emission and radiation?
• How does the energy harvesting operation influence the noise generation?

In the area of aircraft design, the design, construction and integration of the MAP and RP into the modular test platform e-Genius-Mod are being investigated. Based on data from flight tests with this innovative configuration, the transfer to regional aircraft is also being evaluated.

 The research tasks regarding the aircraft design are:

• Evaluation of the impact of the MAP and EHP technologies on the aircraft design and manufacturing
• Development of a concept for the integration of the MAP and EHP systems into the e-Genius-Mod flight test platform
• Flight testing with the e-Genius-Mod equipped with the MAP and EHP technologies
• Development of methods and approaches to translate the measured data of the scaled test platform as well as the results of numerical simulations (CFD and CAA) to a regional-scale aircraft
• Evaluation of the MAP and EHP concepts with regard to certification and feasibility for commercial aviation

Besides providing a solution to the landing problem of DEP, the EHP technology can also be used to increase the flight authority during the landing approach. It therefore also offers significant promises from a flight control perspective. In the field of flight mechanics and control the integration of tilting and energy harvesting propellers into the automated flight control, as well as the identification of high-lift potential based on dynamic flight measurement data, present new technical innovations. For this, non-linear control methods are developed, with the aim of efficient, automated control of energy harvesting and tiltable propellers with active pitch adjustment. In addition, methods for power and parameter estimation based on sensor measurement data are developed.

The following research tasks arise for the flight control group:

• Development of a safe control concept for the e-Genius-Mod flight test platform equipped with EHPs
• Development of a method to measure and assess all the relevant effects during the flight test campaigns
• Creation of models for EHPs across all ranges of rotational speed, while considering non-linear effects, and the conduction of flight mechanics simulations.
• Analysis of the flight mechanical properties and the influence of EHPs on the control authority and high-lift potential during different flight phases based on the flight test results