Simulation Model for Hardware-in-the-Loop Tests of the ILR-33 AMBER Rocket Control System

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Control Systems Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Developing robust control systems for suborbital rockets requires accurate simulation tools.
• Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) testing is crucial for validating complex control systems before deployment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an advanced flight simulation model for the ILR-33 AMBER rocket.
• To demonstrate the integration and testing of the rocket's control system using HiL methods.
• To validate the simulation model's effectiveness for control system design and analysis.

Main Methods:

• Developed a 6DOF flight dynamics simulation model considering variable thrust, mass-inertia, and aerodynamics.
• Integrated the simulation model with the actual rocket control system hardware using a real-time computer.
• Performed Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) tests, comparing unguided and guided flight trajectories.

Main Results:

• The simulation model accurately reproduced key functionalities of the on-board computer and sensors.
• Efficient communication protocols were established between the simulation and hardware components.
• HiL tests demonstrated the significant impact of the control system on flight trajectory and performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed flight simulation model is a useful tool for Hardware-in-the-Loop testing of the ILR-33 AMBER rocket control system.
• The Hardware-in-the-Loop method is a viable approach for designing and validating complex control systems for suborbital rockets.