The A3TB is a flying-wing configuration developed as a modular experimental platform for exploring static and dynamic aeroelastic shape control aimed at improving both performance and stability. It was designed, built, and flight-tested over a three-year period by undergraduate aerospace engineering students as part of their senior capstone project, with guidance and support from the lab’s graduate students.
The aircraft is accompanied by comprehensive aerodynamic, structural, and aeroelastic models, validated through both ground and flight testing. It is optimized for fabrication using 3D printing technologies, and features detachable wings equipped with eight trailing-edge control surfaces used for trimming and managing aeroelastic response.
The A3TB wing (clamped) was tested at the University of Michigan wind tunnel in a study of flutter prediction using different novel techniques and measurement devices.
Watch the A3TB in flight, demonstrating Body-freedom Flutter (BFF) at approx. 1 minute into the video.
People
The A3TB was a project of many dedicated undergraduate and graduate students at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Technion.
The project was led and guided by Dr. Lucy Edery-Azulay. The three-year project student leaders were Tsoof Joels, Ariel Mayer, and Amit Gabay. Project student members were Evyatar Matmon, Tal Sayag, Yasmin Nusbaum, Amit Sayag, Lidia Naftalayev, Amitay Haimovitch, Ofek Karp, Michael Shtepman, Roee Schacter, Noam Yechieli, Dor Naftali, Guy Levi, Ariel Kantor, Liel Arazani, Kay Levinson, Oren Montegomery, Jenia Grichenovsky, Ishai Glam, Saber Boulhajar, Matan Winter, Guy Gordon Biberstein. And, our very talented pilot was Roee Schacter.
Conference Papers
- T. Joels et al, “Design, Analyses, and Flutter Testing of the Active Aeroelastic Aircraft Testbed (A3TB) Platform,” AIAA SciTech, January 2022
