Hostname: page-component-f554764f5-8cg97 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-10T03:01:19.961Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Design, test and evaluation of an actively stabilised drogue refuelling system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2016

T. Kuk  and
K. Ro
T. Kuk*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, USA
K. Ro*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, USA
*
[email protected]
[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A scale model of aerial refuelling drogue is built and tested to investigate active drogue stabilisation and control concepts. A set of aerodynamic control surfaces is implemented to a conventional, aerodynamically stabilised refuelling drogue. The control surfaces are designed to reduce the response of the drogue motion to atmospheric disturbance and tanker motion. This paper presents the details of design concept and experimental results based on wind-tunnel testing of a ⅓ scale model fabricated for this study. To investigate the proposed active control concept, a dynamic test rig is built for wind-tunnel experiment. The rig basically represents a hose-drogue system in terms of a 4 degree-of-freedom (DoF), single link pendulum model. System identification technique is used to obtain a drogue dynamic model, based on which a feedback control law is developed. Closed-loop dynamic testing is carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the aerodynamic surface control module and feedback control law.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 117 , Issue 1197 , November 2013 , pp. 1103 - 1118
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

1. Actively Stabilized Drogue Refuelling System (ASDRS) Request for Information, URL: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/NAVAIR/N00019/N00019-09-RFI-0234/packages.html (retrieved 3 March 2011).Google Scholar
2. Saggio, F., Ribbens, W.B. and Ooi, K.K. US Patent No 7,404,530 B2, 29 July 2008.Google Scholar
3. Krispin, Y. and Velger, M. US Patent No 5.326.052, 5 July 1994.Google Scholar
4. Takas, J.F., Stecko, S.M., Jefferson, G.R., Roberts, G.A. and Shoore, J.D. US Patent No 7,887,010 B2, 15 February 2011.Google Scholar
5. Williamson, W.R., Glenn, G.J., Stecko, S.M., Musgrave, J. and Takacs, J.M. Controllable drogue for automated aerial refuelling, J Aircr, March-April 2010, 47, (2), pp 516–527.Google Scholar
6. Ro, K. and Kamman, J.W. Modeling and simulation of hose-paradrogue aerial refuelling systems, J Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, January-February 2010, 33, (1), pp 53–63.Google Scholar
7. Ro, K., Basaran, E. and Kamman, J.W. Aerodynamic characteristics of paradrogue assembly in an aerial refuelling system, J Aircr, May-June 2007, 44, (3), pp 963–970.Google Scholar
8. Hensen, J.H., Murray, J.E. and Campos, N.V. The NASA Dryden AAR Project: A Flight Test Approach to an Aerial Refuelling System, AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference & Exhibition, AIAA 2004-4939, 2004.Google Scholar
9. Ro, K., Kuk, T. and Kamman, J.W. Dynamics and control of hose-drogue refuelling systems during coupling, J Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, November-December 2011, 34, (6).Google Scholar
10. Ro, K., Park, W., Kuk, T. and Kamman, J.W. Flight Testing of a Free-wing Tilt-body Aircraft, AIAA 2010-3449, AIAA Infotech@Aerospace 2010, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, April 2010.Google Scholar
11. MIL-C-819758, Military Specifcation Coupling, Regulated, Aerial Pressure Refuelling TYPE MA-3, 5 June 1990.Google Scholar