Nixus Project

SUPERSHIP FLY BY WIRE SAILPLANE

Objectives

 Open-class sailplane based on an ASH-30 with a special wing for

high wing load flights using a fly-by-wire flap system.

 New wing with a fly-by-wire flap system will be a new test bed for
new ideas and strategies not available today in soaring sport.

 Use of high tech carbon fibers (HM for skin, HS for spar caps). Pre-
preg, autoclave spar caps.
Performance
km/h
80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260
0

0.5

1
m/s

1.5

2.5

ASH_30 SS max Weight

 Wing Area Aspect Ratio
20 60.0
19
55.0
18
17 50.0
16 45.0
15
14 40.0
13 35.0
12
30.0
11
10 25.0

Wing Load
70.0
65.0
60.0
55.0
50.0
45.0
40.0
35.0
30.0
Team

 Sergio Andrade – Project Owner

 Prof. Paulo Iscold – Chief Designer and Manufacturer

 Prof. Loek Boermans – Delft University – Aerodynamicist Consultant

 Dagfinn Gangsaas – EMBRAER – Fly by Wire Consultant

Paulo Iscold

 Professor of Aeronautical Engineer – Federal University of Minas Gerais – Brazil

 Developed, with students, three airplanes.
 Nine world records.
 EMBRAER Aircraft Loads professor – since
2001.
 Reb Bull Air Race Consultant – since 2008.
 Sabbatical license to develop this project.
Structural Design
Aerodynamic Design
Fabrication
FBW
 The goal for this project is to design and build a
wing that has appropriate aerodynamics and
structural design, equipped with adequate Sensors
actuators, and with a reasonable amount of
sensors that will allow further developments on the
embedded software in order to explore, as
described before, new control strategies. Software

 The initial version of the software that will be Actuator

created will explore:

• Optimum flap deflections Sailplane

• Improvement on handling qualities
Flight Test Prototype
 300
EAS

Speed [km/h]
200 TAS
GS
100

0
6.384 6.386 6.388 6.39 6.392 6.394 6.396 6.398 6.4 6.402
4
x 10
g - deg/secx10-1 1
Nz
0 Gy

-1

-2
6.384 6.386 6.388 6.39 6.392 6.394 6.396 6.398 6.4 6.402
4
x 10
6
Actual
Flap Pos.

4 Target

0
6.384 6.386 6.388 6.39 6.392 6.394 6.396 6.398 6.4 6.402
4
x 10
2200

2000
Alt [m]

1800

1600
6.384 6.386 6.388 6.39 6.392 6.394 6.396 6.398 6.4 6.402
4
x 10
5
Vario [mps]

-5
6.384 6.386 6.388 6.39 6.392 6.394 6.396 6.398 6.4 6.402
4
x 10
 3

2.5

1.5

Current [Ah]
1

0.5

-0.5

-1
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Time [h]

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6
Energy [Ah]

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Time [h]
 Sensors Controller Common
1 1 Sensors

Sensors Controller
2 2

Sensors Controller
3 3

Bus1
Bus2
Bus3
Node Node Node Node
1L 2L 1R 2R

Servo Servo Servo Servo

1L 2L 1R 2R
 Robust and complete protocol
 RS-485 Communication
 Maxon Motor
 Absolute Encoder output shaft
 Hardware Synchronization
Batteries

 Development of a model using flight test data to compute the

required power – under development.

 Stable system (no Li-Po).

 Power control – charge and discharge.

 Solar panel charging