JACOPO VALENTINO COVIOLI

PhD Graduate

PhD program:: XXXIII



Thesis title: Developments in reverse engineering and testing of airborne structures

To verify a modified aircraft structural dynamic stability and fatigue resistance, a dynamic response prediction is required, followed by a Flight Vibration Test if further verification deems necessary. On the aircraft user perspective, in absence of a baseline modal model and lacking room on board a test aircraft for flight test instrumentation dedicated to input control, both modelling and flight testing are demanding tasks, opening to the possibility of some developments in the reverse engineering model updating and modal parameters extraction by flight test data. In this thesis, these two tasks are addressed, and possible solutions are proposed. Regarding the reverse engineering of a FEM structural dynamic model, a new approach for the use of laser scanner technology is proposed to measure small deflections typical of rigid aircraft structures, such as a fighter aircraft wing. The method was applied on a real test case, providing data for a static model updating which, in turn, allowed to create a dynamically representative structural dynamic model of a fighter aircraft wing. For Flight Vibration Test, two enhancing methods for tracking, automated mode detection and parameters extraction are proposed. The first method allows for FDD tracking even in presence of a slowly changing system, which is the case of an aircraft in-flight (burning fuel and changing airspeed), and a small number of measurement points causing spatial aliasing. The method is based on the MACXP correlation parameter, recognised to be the best replacement for the commonly known MAC in view of its effectiveness in dealing with spatial aliasing and modes complexity. The second proposed method consists in automating the modes identification and modal parameters extraction process by means of a clustering algorithm known as Gaussian Mixture Modelling. Given the stabilization diagram obtained by the application of a parametric mode identification method, such as the Stochastic Subspace Identification – Balanced Realisation, the proposed method identifies the best number of modes and determines the related modal parameters. Following numerical validation, both these methods are applied on a real test case of a new store on a fighter aircraft wing, showing consistent results. Overall, the proposed solutions provide aircraft users with some tools to improve their capability to respectively model and test the modal behaviour of an aircraft.

Research products

11573/1480779 - 2021 - Identification of the static and dynamic numerical model of a jet aircraft wing from experimental tests
Chiodi, Claudio; Coppotelli, Giuliano; Covioli, Jacopo Valentino - 04b Atto di convegno in volume
conference: AIAA SCITECH FORUM 2021 (Virtual, Online)
book: AIAA Scitech 2021 Forum - (978-1-62410-609-5)

11573/1480783 - 2021 - On the use of gaussian mixture models for automated modal parameters estimation
Covioli, Jacopo Valentino; Coppotelli, Giuliano - 04b Atto di convegno in volume
conference: AIAA SCITECH 2021 (Evento Virtuale)
book: AIAA Scitech 2021 Forum - (978-1-62410-609-5)

11573/1373091 - 2020 - On the Operational Modal Analysis Techniques for the estimate of modal parameters of aircraft structures during flying vibration tests
Covioli, Jacopo Valentino; Coppotelli, Giuliano - 04b Atto di convegno in volume
conference: AIAA Scitech 2020 Forum (Orlando (FL); USA)
book: AIAA SciTech Forum - (978-1-62410-595-1)

11573/1244729 - 2019 - Frequency domain decomposition for manual and automated tracking of modes using flight data
Caprara, Agnese; Conti, Elisabetta; Coppotelli, Giuliano; Covioli, Jacopo; Ragaglini, Stefano; Beccarisi, Fabrizio - 04b Atto di convegno in volume
conference: AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum (San Diego, CA, USA)
book: AIAA SciTech Forum - (978-1-62410-578-4)

11573/1290413 - 2019 - Experimental and operational modal analysis in support of modal model updating - a test case
Covioli, Jacopo Valentino; Coppotelli, Giuliano - 04b Atto di convegno in volume
conference: 8th International operational modal analisys conference, IOMAC 2019 (Copenhagen, Denmark)
book: 8th IOMAC - International operational modal analysis conference, proceedings - (978-840904900-4)

11573/1320460 - 2019 - Time domain operational modal analysis in support of aeroelastic flight testing
Covioli, Jacopo Valentino; Coppotelli, Giuliano - 04b Atto di convegno in volume
conference: XXV Convegno Associazione Italiana di Aeronautica e Astronautica (Roma)
book: 25th Conference of the italian association of aeronautics and astronautics (AIDAA 2019) - (9788894396010)

11573/1244735 - 2019 - Study on a modified mode tracking technique in support of aeroelastic stability verification by flight testing
Covioli, Jacopo Valentino; Coppotelli, Giuliano; De Paolis, Pierluigi; D' Argenio, Alessandro; Mariani, Serena - 04b Atto di convegno in volume
conference: AIAA Scitech Forum, 2019 (San Diego, CA, USA)
book: AIAA SciTech 2019 Forum - (978-1-62410-578-4)

11573/876753 - 2016 - Motion Sickness Prediction in Aeromedical Evacuation of Patients with Ebola
Lucertini, Marco; Autore, Alberto; Covioli, Jacopo Valentino; Biselli, Roberto; D'amelio, Raffaele - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: AEROSPACE MEDICINE AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE (Alexandria, VA : Aerospace Medical Association, [2015]-) pp. 71-74 - issn: 2375-6314 - wos: WOS:000367497500013 (1) - scopus: 2-s2.0-84959072126 (1)

11573/1434797 - 2015 - Computational aerodynamic prediction for integration of an advanced reconnaissance pod on a 5th generation fighter type aircraft
De Paolis, P.; D’Argenio, A.; Greco, G. L.; Covioli, J.; De Nicola, C. - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS (Ghaziabad : Chetan Sharma) pp. 63-67 - issn: 2248-9622 - wos: (0) - scopus: (0)

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