Final Report Summary - AIM (Advanced in-flight measurement Techniques)
The design of a new aircraft as well as the modification of existing types requires comprehensive numerical and experimental studies. The purpose of the three-year AIM project was to further develop optical measurement techniques in such a way that they can be routinely applied to flight tests, hence providing comprehensive planar information on various important parameters such as wing and propeller deformation, thermal loads on the structures of helicopters, the surface pressure distribution on a wing, density gradients of strong vortices generated by airplanes and helicopters and velocity flow fields near airplanes and helicopters.
During the last two years, several measurement setups have been designed for this purpose and some of them have already been tested on the aircraft e.g. wing and propeller deformation measurements with the Image pattern correlation technique (IPCT) on the Piaggio P180 and the Fairchild Metro II.
The AIM project clearly demonstrates innovative possibilities of a joint multinational cooperation between aircraft industries and research organisations. The EU-funded project ended in October 2009, but during the work in this project a multitude of demanding in flight applications for nonintrusive measurement techniques have been identified which will have to be addressed in future.
During the last two years, several measurement setups have been designed for this purpose and some of them have already been tested on the aircraft e.g. wing and propeller deformation measurements with the Image pattern correlation technique (IPCT) on the Piaggio P180 and the Fairchild Metro II.
The AIM project clearly demonstrates innovative possibilities of a joint multinational cooperation between aircraft industries and research organisations. The EU-funded project ended in October 2009, but during the work in this project a multitude of demanding in flight applications for nonintrusive measurement techniques have been identified which will have to be addressed in future.