Design, Analyses, and Flutter Testing of the Active Aeroelastic Aircraft Testbed (A3TB) Platform

The paper presents the design, analyses, and flutter flight testing of the Active Aeroelastic Aircraft Testbed (A3TB), a 3D-printed aeroelastic demonstrator vehicle. The A3TB is a flying-wing configuration designed as a modular experimental research platform, to demonstrate static and dynamic aeroelastic shape control that targets performance and stability goals. The aircraft design is accompanied with detailed disciplinary models and analyses of the aerodynamics, structures, and aeroelastic response, which were verified in ground and flight tests. The paper presents the A3TB design, models, aerodynamic, dynamic, and aeroelastic characteristics, and data analysis of a flutter flight test. The A3TB, with its verified detailed models, is available for future experimental studies of flutter suppression and aeroelastic control.