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Test structures

The Exulans project required the design and construction of a number of test rigs. Also during prototype development, the requirement for a test rig often emerges. Diomedes developed the skill and capability of designing and building test structures cost effectively and fast while still meeting the specification. It also supervises and assists engineering students with designing their test setups.
While many test structures can be improvised immediately in the prototype workshop, there are also more elaborate test structures that require a higher level of engineering skill.


The whiffle tree structure used to do a destructive bending test	The whiffle tree structure used to do a torsion test

Whiffle tree:

Whiffle tree: This is a 15m long structure for performing structural tests on wings (upto 15m wingspan) which was developed to perform structural tests on the complete Exulans I wing. It introduces a distributed force on the wing resembling the lift distribution by spreading the force via suspended branches that are arranged like a up side down tree. These “trees” are pulled up with a hydraulic cylinder to introduce the desired test force.
The whiffle tree is also used for many other stress and deflection tests and experiments on components and subassemblies.

Longitudinal stability tester:

This test structures is designed to arrest the Exulans prototype in the yaw and roll axis while being drawn at flying speed on a car trailer. It was designed to evaluate the longitudinal stability of the Exulans and to test pitch control.

Longitudinal stability tester
shown with a manned Exulans
prototype and test crew

Exulans flight test platform:

The flight test platform allows the Exulans to do tethered flight free in all three movement axis while driven by a pickup truck at flying speed. This test structure was used to determine the flight properties of the Exulans and also to do extensive flight training.

The Exulans on the flight test platform during testing on a big runway