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  Flight dynamic modelling and parameter identification of Single Engine (SE) Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Air Mobility Aircraft


   School of Science, Engineering and Environment

  Dr Omar Ariff, Dr Yunus Govdeli, Dr Ali Bahr Ennil  Applications accepted all year round  Self-Funded PhD Students Only

About the Project

Information on this PhD research area can be found further down this page under the details about the Widening Participation Scholarship given immediately below.

Applications for this PhD research are welcomed from anyone worldwide but there is an opportunity for UK candidates (or eligible for UK fees) to apply for a widening participation scholarship.

Widening Participation Scholarship: Any UK candidates (or eligible for UK fees) is invited to apply. Our scholarships seek to increase participation from groups currently under-represented within research. A priority will be given to students that meet the widening participation criteria and to graduates of the University of Salford. For more information about widening participation, follow this link: https://www.salford.ac.uk/postgraduate-research/fees. [Scroll down the page until you reach the heading “PhD widening participation scholarships”.] Please note: we accept applications all year but the deadline for applying for the widening participation scholarships in 2024 is 28th March 2024. All candidates who wish to apply for the MPhil or PhD widening participation scholarship will first need to apply for and be accepted onto a research degree programme. As long as you have submitted your completed application for September/October 2024 intake by 28 February 2024 and you qualify for UK fees, you will be sent a very short scholarship application. This form must be returned by 28 March 2024. Applications received after this date must either wait until the next round or opt for the self-funded PhD route.

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Project description: Uncrewed Aerial Systems and their larger cousins, Advanced Air Mobility vehicles represent the next stage of evolution of aviation. With current advances in technology, this class of vehicles represent ‘the last mile‘ of air transportation. Coupled with the current increased awareness of environmental preservation (i.e. zero-carbon footprint and noise reduction) as well as the increasing levels of achievable autonomy, development has accelerated in recent years.

However, this has also led to much hype developed through social and non-technical media. Consequently, the last challenge has been frequently overlooked, which is the capability to fly the distances required such that these vehicles become an actual game changer. Additionally, this has to be achieved at a cost comparable to current mobility-on-demand modes of transport. This necessitates research into viable air vehicle technology. One solution to this challenge is a hybrid VTOL fixed wing vehicle powered by a single power unit ( i.e. an internal combustion engine or gas turbine engine driving multiple propellers through an optimised drivetrain). The single power unit will reduce complexity, air vehicle certification, optional pilot requirements and maintenance costs associated with multi-engine aircraft.

Given that this configuration cannot be independently controlled using the same mechanism as the common multi-electric motor platform, a different control mechanism must be used. This would comprise both conventional fixed propellors for lift, and variable pitch and plane propellors for directional control and stabilisation, through the different stages of its flight envelope.

The integration of electric motors into airframes and the resulting aerodynamics have been well investigated. So have the impact of tilt rotors on the outer portion of the wing. However, the dynamics of variable pitch and variable plane thrusters embedded within aerodynamic lifting surface airframes has not been well studied. This is to the extent that the current flight dynamics models developed for electric VTOL air mobility vehicles cannot be used for this type of air vehicles. It is proposed that this programme of research does the following.

Objectives: Firstly, it is to see how different the flow interaction with the airframe is with respect to an electric fixed pitch propeller vs a variable pitch propeller. This has to occur at every stage of the flight envelope. Secondly, the dynamics of the variation also has to be investigated. This is the variation of the force and moment parameters on a generic vehicle of this class with a corresponding variation of pitch and rotation plane of the thruster blades. It is anticipated that the dynamics of these type of vehicles will differ from electric multirotor VTOL or tilt-wing electric VTOL aircraft.

Aim: A flight dynamics model to be developed which can be used for certification and handling qualities for this class of aircraft.

Methodology: The investigation will utilise both wind tunnel experiments, ground rig tests and complex CFD and MATLAB simulations

Output: (1) PhD thesis (placed in open access repository) (2) Technical open-source reports (3) Journal and conference paper publications (4) Possible build of a scaled demonstrator with an external partner from industry.

Desired candidate profile: The desired candidate should preferable have a good undergraduate degree or masters degree in one of the following programmes:- Aeronautical engineering, aerospace engineering, aircraft engineering. In addition, the candidate should be able to demonstrate a good understanding of most of the following domains of knowledge:- flight static and dynamic stability, principles of air vehicle design, flight vehicle aerodynamics, aircraft performance and aircraft handling qualities.

Engineering (12)

Funding Notes

If you have secured funding from a body in your country, kindly check if the funding source has requirements or restrictions on the institution you register for your studies, and that University of Salford satisfies those requirements.

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