COSTAR (Compact innOvativeSmarT Actuators for next generation Rotorcraft) Project is part of the Fast RotorCraft (FRC) IADP program of Clean Sky 2.
The Project aims at developing the actuation system of the primary and secondary flight controls, targeting the final goal to accomplish in-flight demonstration of the RACER prototype.
In order to contribute to achieve this goal, the COSTAR Consortium plans to design, manufacture, and qualify a new concept of modular actuation, which employs the same type of mechanical and electronic components, scaled according to the specific requirements, for all the actuations assuring the compliance to the safety and performance requirements.
The project ambition is to demonstrate the capability to actuate eight different control surfaces and the primary control command lines using two different types of actuators and one type of control electronics. This latter one will implement control SW able to recognise which type of actuator has to be commanded and its function, according to the pin programming logic. This high level of commonality for so different types of actuation represents a challenging target of the project.
In detail, primary flight controls actuators are employed to optimize the controls in roll, yaw, and pitch of the main rotor of the FRC, while the secondary ones are used to control the movable surfaces of the wings, the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. The actuation system are controlled by the ’Autopilot Flight Control System to improve the rotorcraft manoeuvrability, especially during the transition phases between high and low speed, and to optimize the drag at high speed to reduce the fuel consumption improving the environmental sustainability.