Publication

CFD-Enhanced Calibration of a Multi-Hole Probe for Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems

2026

Abstract

A robust calibration method with a 9-hole probe (9HP) for inertial wind vector measurements from a small uncrewed aircraft system (sUAS) is presented. Calibration accuracy is improved by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to estimate corrections, such as for test section blockage, that are generally applied in wind tunnel testing. A method for estimating experimental bias is presented to account for flow variations over the pressure taps as the 9HP is repositioned in the test section. Installation effects from flow over the airframe and upwash produced by the wings are estimated from CFD simulations of the entire airframe at expected cruise speed. An initial CFD analysis has demonstrated a quantifiable linear relationship between the measured and actual angle of attack as measured from the relative wind frame. The objective of these additional steps is to increase the accuracy of 9HP calibration.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/0282d0f3-4019-4d01-8449-cc3bac55672c

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2026

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/0282d0f3-4019-4d01-8449-cc3bac55672c

About this result

Related concepts (32)

Computational fluid dynamics

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate the free-stream flow of the fluid, and the interaction of the fluid (liquids and gases) with surfaces defined by boundary conditions. With high-speed supercomputers, better solutions can be achieved, and are often required to solve the largest and most complex problems.

Unmanned aerial vehicle

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs were originally developed through the twentieth century for military missions too "dull, dirty or dangerous" for humans, and by the twenty-first, they had become essential assets to most militaries. As control technologies improved and costs fell, their use expanded to many non-military applications.

Fluid dynamics

In physics, physical chemistry and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids—liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including aerodynamics (the study of air and other gases in motion) and hydrodynamics (the study of liquids in motion). Fluid dynamics has a wide range of applications, including calculating forces and moments on aircraft, determining the mass flow rate of petroleum through pipelines, predicting weather patterns, understanding nebulae in interstellar space and modelling fission weapon detonation.

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CFD-Enhanced Calibration of a Multi-Hole Probe for Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems

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