Investigating Dynamic Behavior and Control Systems of the F-16 Aircraft: Mathematical Modelling and Autopilot Design

Year 2023, Volume: 04 Issue: 02, 75 - 86, 30.12.2023

Masoud Norouzi Elbrus Caferov

Abstract

The development of control systems for aerial vehicles necessitates a meticulous examination of their dynamic behavior. This research delves into an in-depth investigation of the dynamic behavior of the F-16 aircraft, employing refined mathematical models to analyze both its longitudinal and lateral motions, as well as their corresponding modes. These mathematical models are formulated in two conventional representations: state space equations and transfer functions. By utilizing these mathematical representations, two displacement autopilots have been developed, consisting of a pitch attitude autopilot based on the longitudinal equations and a roll attitude autopilot designed using the lateral equations. Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers, encompassing inner loops, as well as Linear Quadratic Controllers (LQR), have been employed as control system units. These control structures have been subjected to analysis using Simulink models. The analyses have yielded favorable damping characteristics and faster responses in both longitudinal and lateral movements and modes.

Keywords

Flight Dynamics, Longitudinal Motion, Lateral Motion, Displacement Autopilots, LQR, PID, F-16 Aircraft

References

• Ahmed, W., Li, Z., Maqsood, H. and Anwar, B., (2019). System Modelling and Controller Design for Lateral and Longitudinal Motion of F-16. Automation, Control and Intelligent Systems. Vol. 7, No. 1, 2019, pp. 39-45. doi: 10.11648/j.acis.20190701.15
• Ammons, E.E., (1978). F-16 Flight Control System Redundancy Concepts, General Dynamics, Fort Worth Division, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
• Andrade, J.P.P, Campos, V.A.F., Potts, A.S. and Garcia, C., (2017). Damping Improvement of a F-16 Aircraft through Linear Matrix Inequalities. International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) Hosting by Elsevier Ltd., IFAC PapersOnLine 50-1 (2017) 3947–3952
• Denieul, Y., Guibé, J.B., Alazard, D., Toussaint, C., Taquin, G., (2017), Multicontrol Surface Optimization for Blended Wing-Body Under Handling Quality Constraints. Journal of Aircraft, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics ,pp.1-14. DOI: 10.2514/1.C034268
• Ijaz, S., Fuyang, C., Hamayun, M.T. and Anwaar, H. (2021). Adaptive integral-sliding-mode control strategy for maneuvering control of F16 aircraft subject to aerodynamic uncertainty. Applied Mathematics and Computation 402 (2021) 126053, www.elsevier.com/locate/amc
• Kada, B. and Ghazzawi, Y., (2011), Robust PID Controller Design for an UAV Flight Control System. World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science (WCECS), San Francisco, USA, ISBN: 978-988-19251-7-6
• Li, B. and Wu, F., (2005). Probabilistic Robust Control Design for An F-16 Aircraft. AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit, San Francisco, California
• Nelson, R.C., (1998). Flight Stability and Automatic Control, WCB/McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-046273-9
• Nguyen, L.T., Ogburn, M.E, Gilbert, W.P., Kibler, K.S., Brown, P.W. and Deal, P.L., (1979). Simulator Study of Stall/Post-Stall Characteristics of a Fighter Airplane With Relaxed Longitudinal Static Stability, NASA Technical Paper 1538, Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, available at: https://www.cs.odu.edu/~mln/ltrs-pdfs/NASA-79-tp1538.pdf (accessed 20 April 2022)
• Özcan, A.B. and Caferov, E., (2022). Frequency Domain Analysis of F-16 Aircraft in a Variety of Flight Conditions. International Journal of Aviation Science and Technology, Volume 3, Issue 1, (2022), 21-34, DOI: 10.23890/IJAST.vm03is01.0103
• Reichert, G., (1992/1993). Flugmechanik III: Flugeigenschaftskriterien, Elastisches Flugzeug und Aktive Steuerung, Vorlesungsmanuskript, Institut fuer Flugmechanik des TU Braunschweig, Germany
• Sayegh, Z.E. and Deghidy, A., (2014). Auto Pilot Design for F-16. Technical Report, A Project Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Concordia, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.36709.91362, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325450374
• Stachowiak, S.J. and Bosworth, J.T, (2004). Flight Test Results for the F-16XL With a Digital Flight Control System. NASA/TP-2004-212046, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Edwards, California, USA
• Stevens, B.L. and Lewis, F.L., (1992). Aircraft Control and Simulation, A Wiley-Interscience Publication, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Vo, H. and Seshagiri, S., (2008). Robust Control of F-16 Lateral Dynamics. International Journal of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering, DOI: 10.1109/IECON.2008.4757977, Source: IEEE Xplore
• Wikimedia drawing, A 3-view line drawing of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:General_Dynamics_F-16_Fighting_Falcon_3-view_line_drawing.svg