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Simulation, Controls and Avionics Laboratory

METU AEE Simulation, Controls and Avionics Laboratories

 

 

Experimental Facilities for Teaching and Research

 

Undergraduate Simulation, Controls and Avionics Laboratory

In the undergraduate simulation, controls and avionics laboratory, there are variety of experimental setups used for demonstrations and laboratory work in courses such as AE 372 Fight Mechanics, AE 402 Instrumentation, and AE 410 Aerospace Engineering Laboratory. These experiments teach students the fundamentals of flight mechanics and control. These equipment are used for laboratory works in the Flight Mechanics and Control courses and also for laboratory and project works in AEE 410 course.

 

  • Gyroscope Demonstration Setup: This setup demonstrates the principles of a gyroscope . The system consists of a freewheel mounted on a shaft in a frame free to rotate. The experiments are used to estimate the inertia of the free wheel and balancing the gyroscopic moment.

 

  • Inverted Pendulum Setup: Experimental setup to control an inverted pendulum mounted on a cart. The system uses a data acquisition card to read sensor output from the card and generates input to the card movement via Matlab Simulink.

 

  • Flight Demonstration Wind Tunnel: This setup helps the students to understand how an airfoil produces lift and provides them with a basic understanding of the key requirements of aircraft flight. A model aircraft is suspended inside the working section. The student can control the angle of slab tailplane and the throttle. Air velocity, attitude, altitude and lift force datum can be reached from a digital display.

 

  • Ball and Beam Experimental Setup: Relates to problems of control of unstable systems as they would typically occur in aerospace and associated control industries. Students can practically investigate and compare a wide range of functional control system configurations. They are able to examine the control of the position of a ball as it rolls on top of a pivoted beam.

 

  • Servo Trainer: Designed for the theoretical study and practical investigation of basic and advanced control engineering principles including the analysis of static and dynamic systems using analogue and/or digital techniques. Students can examine the control of the velocity of a rotating shaft with differing loads and inertias.

 

  • Helicopter Model: Multidimensional naturally unstable system with three controlled inputs and two measured outputs with significant cross couplings, designed for the study of dynamical systems, as well as for experiments supporting control theory.

 

  • Ball and Plate Apparatus: Two dimensional system with second-order asterism designed for studying system dynamics and experimenting with number of different control algorithms based on classical and modern control theory. The system consists of a plate pivoted at its center such that the slope of the plate can be manipulated in two perpendicular directions. Intelligent vision system is used for measurement of the ball position.

 

  • Magnetic Levitation Model: One dimensional strongly nonlinear unstable system designed for studying the system dynamics and experimenting with number of different control algorithms based on classical and modern control theory. The system consists of a coil levitating a steel ball in magnetic field. Position of the steel ball is sensed by inductive linear position sensor. The basic control task is to control the position of the ball.

 

  • Large Wind Tunnel: This setup is used to calculate forces and moments in 3-D of a model airplane. The system is used also used to estimate stability derivatives.

 

  • Other Research Facilities and Equipment:
    • Head-Mount-Display and data glove for Virtual Reality simulation research
    • TURKSAT Satellite Simulator
    • VXI based system for data acquisition and control
    • SBC and DSP boards with IMU and GPS for autopilot controller research
    • Model helicopter and fixed wing aircraft platforms
    • Various flight instruments such as altimeters, air data computers, artificial horizons, etc.

 

 

Simulation, Controls and Avionics Research Laboratories

 

 

 

 

  • UAV Control Laboratory

 

     

    

 

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