On the application of estimation and correction algorithms in the system for measuring vibration parameters of aircraft structural elements

Abstract

Nowadays, high-precision measurement of aircraft vibration parameters during its main operations modes, including in-flight operation mode, is still considered an important scientific and technical field of study and research. These kinds of measurements are usually conducted in order to analyze the airplane vibration properties and characteristics, which serves in diagnosing the state of its structure, predicting the appearance and development of defects and deformations, as well as to prevent or avoid the influence of dangerous phenomena such as flutter, buffeting, etc. In this article, the authors present the primary results of their work to build a system designed to measure such airplane vibration parameters. In comparison with the existing analogous systems, the new proposed system makes use of traditional vibrometric measurement methods in combination with approaches typical for solving orientation and navigation problems. So, the article discusses the principles of constructing a measurement system of vibration parameters of aircraft structural elements using the example of a system for measuring aircraft wing vibrations using MEMS IMU units and data fusion technology. A brief review of the main existing solutions in this research field is carried out, and the relevance and expediency of the proposed version of the system is substantiated. The basic components and structure of the proposed system are presented, including MEMS IMU units, a displacement sensor, and an onboard navigation system. The basic principles of the system operation are described based on the use of data from the displacement sensor, inertial measurements and optimal Kalman estimation. The main algorithms for the system operation are presented, including algorithms for inertial measurements, estimation and correction, as well as the actual algorithm for calculating vibration parameters. In addition, the mathematical errors models of the main measurements units of the system are presented. The article also presents simulation results, which are encouraging, and they demonstrate the performance of the system and its expected relatively high accuracy characteristics, which in turns confirms the expected efficiency of its application and the prospects of the chosen direction of research and development.