National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Description

BGER Numerical Bifurcation Methods for Study of Airliner Upset Dynamics & Control (US)

25% of fatal airliner accidents are caused by ‘loss of control’ (LOC). This usually follows so-called ‘upset’ phenomena: uncommanded motions with large attitude and/or motion rates, so that the aerodynamic behaviour is no longer linear. Researchers at NASA have more than a decade’s experience of studying various aspects of LOC and upset recovery. At the Univ. of Bristol, there is active research in applying mathematical tools known as bifurcation methods to the study of nonlinear dynamical systems. This project exploited the combined expertise at NASA and Bristol by studying a NASA numerical model of a generic transport aircraft using bifurcation analysis, in order to better understand the nature of upset and related loss-of-control. The project included a visit to NASA Langley, participation in the 1st LOC Research Working Group meeting in the US and hosting a NASA researcher at Bristol.

Period	16 Aug 2012 → 24 Mar 2013
Visiting	National Aeronautics and Space Administration