Internship: Design and Testing of a Downscaled Highly Flexible Wing Model for Optical Deformation Measurements

Job description

What are you going to do? The internship focuses on the practical realization of a representative, laboratory-scale measurement setup for supporting a large-scale wind tunnel campaign. The main objective is to manufacture and test a simplified downscaled flexible wing model that will support the validation of the IPCT (Image Pattern Correlation Technique) measurement technology. IPCT is a contactless optical method for measuring surface displacements by comparing images of a patterned surface before and after deformation. In the context of flight testing, it is particularly useful for measuring wing deformation and aeroelastic behaviour in real conditions without requiring instrumentation of the wing with sensors. Within the EU-funded EXAELIA project, which develops flying test beds for advanced aircraft concepts such as hydrogen-powered and blended wing body designs, IPCT is developed further as an advanced measurement technique to support structural monitoring and reduce risks in future flight tests. The internship work will support the characterization of wing deformations and provide valuable input for the preparation of the planned wind tunnel campaign involving a highly flexi...