PID Controller for Pitch Control of EASE Aircraft

Abstract

Pitch control is crucial for an aircraft’s stability. In the event an aircraft experiences an unforeseen wind gust, response systems need to be in place to ensure the craft returns to equilibrium in a smooth and timely manner. These systems observe the current state of pitch and return a response to control it to a desired value. Traditionally, the control surfaces the wing and tail surfaces are used to impart change on the aircraft’s state. Pitch control is also useful in scale model wind tunnel testing of an airplane. This project investigates the design of a PID controller to achieve pitch stability for a scale model aircraft. A reduced order model of the aircraft’s dynamics is developed to facilitate controller design. Several different model reduction techniques are considered, and the final choice is verified against the full order dynamics model. From this reduced order model, a digital implementation will be developed for the PID controller through linear design in MATLAB. The controller’s design is verified through non-linear simulation using in-laboratory tools. I will carry out all the above.