Temporary Registration No.

: TPN / 13138

Project Proposal On

Design, Calibration and Flight Testing of Micro Air

Data System

Submitted to:

Division :SwarnaJayanti Fellowship Cell

Programme or Scheme :Engineering Sciences

Submitted By

Project Investigator:

Dr. C Ramprasadh

SASTRA UNIVERSITY-Thanjavur
 Part 1 : General Information

General Information:

1.Name of the Institute/University/Organisation submitting the Project Proposal :

SASTRA UNIVERSITY

2. State Tamilnadu

3. Principal Investigrator Name: Dr. C Ramprasadh

4. Category: General

5. Type of the Institue : NGO/VO

(Unique Id provided by NGO : TN/2017/0118683

6. Project Title : Design, Calibration and

Flight Testing of Micro Air
Data System

7. Division : SwarnaJayanti Fellowship

Cell

8. Programme Or Scheme : Engineering Sciences

9. Academic Area : Electrical Engineering,

Electronics,Computers and
Communication Engineering,
Mechanical Engineering,

10. Application Area : Basic Science,

11. Is the Proposal Submitted Under Specific Call for Yes

Proposal:

12. Project Duration : 4 Years and 0 Months

13. Project Keywords:

Flight Instrumentation, Micro Air Data System, Calibration, Flight Test, Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle
14. Project Summary (Not to exceed one page. Please use separate sheet).
The specific aims of this project are to develop and calibrate a multi-hole air data probe
system with necessary air data computer for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles UAVs. There are
only a few methods available to measure the Angle Of Attack AOA during the flight in the
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The angle of attack is a critical quantity as far as flying
qualities are concerned. This flow angle is an important parameter which directly
contributes to the aerodynamic forces. If one has the accurate values of AOA, the aircraft
can be controlled in highly unconventional missions as well. Some of the methods to
measure the Angle Of Attack are given below.
1.AOA Measurement using Multi-Hole Air Data Probes
Multi-hole probe systems are conventionally used in the measurement of flow angles.
Bigger aircraft use such systems efficiently and with ease. The flight instrumentation is
not a difficult task. But, like that of mini UAVs, flight instrumentation with multi-hole probe
system and its air data computer without breaching the weight constraint is highly
challenging. Few commercially available probes and air data computers are capable of
being installed in mini flyers. It involves high cost as such micro air data systems are
complicated to calibrate.
2.Vane Systems
The angle of attack/Sideslip vanes is an alternative type of solution for measuring flow
angles in mini aerial vehicles. Such probes are available at low cost and lightweight but
are less accurate.
3.Estimation Algorithms
Estimation of flow angles is the other alternative method, which is highly exigent. It
involves a significant dependency on other sensor measurements typically available with
the sensor suite instrumented in flight, their accuracy, computational ability, the process
model and its accuracy ect.,
The current proposal considers the vast gap in the design, calibration and development of
micro air data probe in our country. Currently, the methods available to calibrate the
probe are not well developed in our country. This project is mainly proposed to create an
indigenous Micro Air Data Probe and onboard computing system, which could be
mounted over Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with wingspans of 500 mm and above to
measure the Angle Of Attack. For this purpose, it is proposed to set up a calibration
facility with a tabletop wind tunnel. Design of a micro air data probe is to be taken up, and
fabrication through 3D printing could be done. Such micro air data probe with a different
number of holes could be manufactured and tested in the wind tunnel. A LABVIEW based
data acquisition system interfaced with a workstation is required for calibration of the
microprobe. Further, it is proposed that a lightweight micro air data computer be
developed for flight instrumentation for onboard flow angle measurement using the micro
air data probe.
This proposal brings out four phases of the research work. The first phase is the
establishment of a tabletop wind tunnel setup with state of the art data acquisition system
with LABVIEW environment. The second phase is the design and fabrication of micro air
data probes three hole and five-hole probes. The third phase is the development of air
data computer and related electronic circuitry for flight instrumentation. The fourth and
final phase is the flight testing and validation of the air data system. Validation of the flow
angle measurements should be performed by comparing the performance of the
indigenous probe with that of the commercial probes such as from Aeroprobe Inc., USA.
The importance and relevance of the proposed work are cosmic because there are no
adequate flow angle measurement systems in mini flyers as far as our country is
concerned. It is a universal fact that the flow angle measurement systems are highly
expensive due to its size, manufacturing and calibration issues. Indigenously developing
such instruments becomes even more critical to establish new control law developments
for mini/micro flyers.
Currently, as a startup work, a five-hole probe has been modelled in 3D using solid
modelling software to carry out a CFD analysis of the flow through the micro-holes. From
the literature and the datasheets of commercially available probes are taken as a
reference in creating the solid model of the multi-hole air data probe. ANSYS Fluent is
being used for the CFD analysis of the probe. It would be resulting in the extraction of
pressure calibration curves for the various angle of attacks and sideslip angles. This work
is currently being taken up as a preamble to the proposed research project.

Proposed Work
The current proposal aims at
•Design and Fabrication of Multi-Hole Micro Air Data Probe
•Setting up of a calibration facility for the calibration of Multi-hole probes.
•Calibration of the Micro Air Data Probe
•Developing an indigenous Air Data Computer system for in-flight measurement of flow
angles.
•Flight Testing of the air data system and
•Validation of the flow angle measurements
Importance of Angle of Attack measurement
The angle of Attack is an important measurement as far as UAVs are concerned because
it directly affects the aerodynamic performance of an aircraft. The coefficient of Lift and
coefficient of Drag are directly affected by the Angle of Attack. Lift increases with increase
in Angle of Attack up to a limit called stall Angle of Attack then decreases sharply due to
large flow separation. This phenomenon is called “Stall”, and after that the aircraft
becomes unstable. Thus measurement of Angle of Attack gains importance as to know
about the Aerodynamic parameters. It would significantly enable designing and develop
control laws for flying UAVs in unconventional missions.
Importance of Five hole probe
As mentioned above in the introductory statement, there are a few methods available to
measure the Angle of Attack. They are, by using
•Five hole probe
A Five hole probe is a common type of multi-hole probe employed for flow angle
measurements. It is a type of pitot-static probe used to measure the pitch and yaw angle.
The angles are calculated using the pressure difference measured between the holes.
•AOA vane probe
The Angle Of Attack vane is a device capable of measuring the Angle of Attack and side
slip angle. This vane is a dynamic device which deflects due to the flow, and a
potentiometer will measure the deflection. The accuracy of measurement is low when
compared to five hole probe.
•Estimation Algorithms
The Estimation Algorithms are a set of algorithms which are simulated using Matlab
software to estimate the Angle of Attack. These Algorithms are still in validation stage.
Therefore, the five-hole probe is the best method to measure the Angle Of Attack.
Since there are no well-established methods of flow angle measurement in UAVs due to
the size and weight constraint of such vehicles, the need for the design and development
of the Air Data Computer gains significance. Meanwhile, few methods involving state
estimation techniques are studied by the Principal Investigator. In the recent past, the
following research has been carried out by the principal investigator.
As part of his PhD work at IIT Bombay, which was also supported by ARDB the
Estimation of Aerodynamic Angles in MAV using Sensor Fusion was reported. A simple
method for estimation of aerodynamic angles has been published in the thesis. His thesis
has contributed the following to advance the current state of the art.
1.Design of a simple algebraic method of estimation for AOA and SSA ES1
2.Design of EKF estimation algorithm with Pseudo-measurements of AOA and SSA
3.Robustness Analysis
4.Estimation of Aerodynamic Angles using Simplified Aerodynamic Model
Also, all the above estimation techniques are presented with a simplified aerodynamic
model structure. The results show that the estimates of the algebraic method in high AOA
region exhibit bias due to the way in which the aerodynamic model was simplified. The
other two schemes perform well with the simplified aerodynamic model.
Apart from the above, the research work also claims the following as minor contributions
to state of the art.
1.Design of a Complementary Filter technique for estimating AOA using the Newton
Raphson steady-state solution of AOA. It could be considered as another variant of the
algebraic method.
2.Estimation of AOA and SSA using estimated aircraft parameters. A separate offline
EKF algorithm was developed to identify the aircraft parameters which were used for
estimation of aerodynamic angles.
3.Study on the inclusion of the effects of wind turbulence in the estimation schemes.
4.A complete analysis of different cases and combinations of estimation schemes and
available measurements from resource availability point of view.
5.A standard EKF estimation scheme ES2 was also designed to verify and compare the
quality of estimated AOA and SSA.
As part of the next step towards flow angle measurement/estimation, the validation of the
estimation algorithm has been taken up. Currently, an ongoing project funded by the
ARDB on “Validation of Alpha Estimators in Mini Aerial Vehicles” has been carried out.
The ongoing research project sanctioned by the ARDB is being executed with the
technical support of the MAV Division of the National Aerospace Laboratories NAL
Bangalore.
Validation of three different estimation schemes is being carried out. All the necessary
sensor data are recorded including the direct measurement of the angle of attack using a
miniature vane probe Smart miniature vane. Then a post-flight algorithm is executed for
estimation of the angle of attack whose output was compared with the vane probe
measurements.
 Part 2: Particulars of Investigators

Principal Investigator:

1. Name: Dr. C Ramprasadh

Designation : Senior Assistant Professor

Department: School of Mechanical

Engineering

Institute/University: SASTRA UNIVERSITY

State: Tamilnadu

District: Thanjavur

City/Place: Thanjavur

Date of Birth: 30/06/1979

Gender: Male

Address: Thirumalaisamudram,
Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
613401, India

Pin: 613401

Communication Email: [email protected]

Alternate Email: [email protected]

Mobile: 9489550188

Phone:

Fax:

Category: General
Co-Investigator:
 Part 3: Suggested Refrees

Suggested Refrees:

1. Name: Ramakalyan Ayyagari

Mobile: 9443923485

Designation : Associate Professor

Email: [email protected]

Institute/University: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

TECHNOLOGY
TIRUCHIRAPPALLI TRICHY

Address: Tanjore Main Road, National

Highway 67, Near BHEL
Trichy, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil
Nadu

Academic Area:

Application Area:

State: Tamilnadu

District: Tiruchirappalli

City: Tiruchirapalli

Address: Dr Ramakalyan Ayyagari

Associate Professor,
Dept. of Instrumentation &
Control Engg.,
Office: # 322, Lyceum
building,
National Institute of
Technology Tiruchirappalli,
TIRUCHIRAPPALLI 620 015
IND

Pin Code: 620015

2. Name: Radhakanth Padhi

Mobile: 9900583971

Designation : Professor

Email: [email protected]

Institute/University: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF

SCIENCE
 Address: Centre of Earth Sciences,
Indian Institute of Science

Academic Area:

Application Area:

State: Karnataka

District: Bengaluru Urban

City: Bengaluru

Address: Dr Radhakanth Padhi

Professor
Control & Guidance
Email: padhi[at]iisc.ac.in
Office Phone Number: +91-
80-22932756
Lab Phone Number: +91-80-
22932757

Pin Code: 560012

3. Name: Rajanna

Mobile: 8022932270

Designation : Professor

Email: [email protected]

Institute/University: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF

SCIENCE

Address: Centre of Earth Sciences,

Indian Institute of Science

Academic Area:

Application Area: Basic Science,

State: Karnataka

District: Bengaluru Urban

City: Bengaluru

Address: Dr Konandur Rajanna

Professor and Chairman.
Department of
Instrumentation & Applied
Physics.
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
SCIENCE (IISc).
Bangalore, Karnataka.
 Pin Code: 560012

4. Name: G Ramesh

Mobile: 9482732616

Designation : Visiting Professor

Email: [email protected]

Institute/University: JAIN UNIVERSITY

Address: JGI Global Campus,

Jakkasandra Post

Kanakapura Taluk,
Ramanagara District

Bangalore, Karnataka

India -

Academic Area: Electronics,Computers and

Communication Engineering,
Mechanical Engineering,

Application Area: Basic Science,

State: Karnataka

District: Bengaluru Urban

City: Bengaluru

Address: Dr G. Ramesh
Director (Retd.), MAV
Division, National Aerospace
Laboratories Bangalore,
Visiting Professor,
Jain University,
Bengaluru.

Pin Code: 560012

 Part 4: Financial Details

Financial Deatils:

Total Project Cost(In Rs.): 11089200.00

PFMS Unique Code: SASTRAPROJECT

 Part 5: Current Ongoing Project

Current Ongoing Project:

1. Project Title: Validation of Alpha

Estimators in Mini Aerial
Vehicles

Funding Department: Defence Research and

Development Organisation

Project Duration : 2 Years 0 Months

Total Project Cost (In Rs.) : 1385000.00

Start Date in : January 2016

 NGO Details fetched from NGO Portal:

(1) Registration Details:

NGO Unique ID : TN/2017/0118683

Name: SASTRA University

Registration With : Sub-Registrar

Type of NGO : Trust

Registration No : 73/2001

Registration Date : 2001-02-02

Contact Name : R Sethuraman

Designation :

Act Name : Indian Trusts Act, 1882

Reg Multiple : 2

FCRA Registered : No

FCRA Registration No :

FCRA Registration Date : NA

Valid upto : NA

State : TAMIL NADU

District : Thanjavur

Address : Prof R Sethuraman

Vice Chancellor
SASTRA University

Pincode : 613401

State of Registration : TAMIL NADU

City of Registration : Chennai

Off Phone : 04362-264220

Res. Phone : -

Mobile : 9894999747
 Email : [email protected]

Website : http://www.sastra.edu

Pan No : A********C

Pan Status : Verified

Work Issues : Animal Husbandry, Dairying

& Fisheries, Art & Culture,
Biotechnology, Disaster
Management, Education &
Literacy, Information &
Communication Technology,
Micro Small & Medium
Enterprises, New &
Renewable Energy,
Scientific & Industrial
Research, Science &
Technology, Vocational
Training

(2) Members Details:

1. Name: S VAIDHYASUBRAMANIAM

Designation: Trustee

Aadhaar Status : Verified

Pan Status : Verified

Email : [email protected]

Last Updated : 04-12-2017

2. Name: S SWAMINATHAN

Designation: Trustee

Aadhaar Status : Verified

Pan Status : Verified

Email : [email protected]

Last Updated : 04-12-2017

3. Name: R SETHURAMAN

Designation: Trustee

Aadhaar Status : Verified

Pan Status : Verified

Email : [email protected]

Last Updated : 04-12-2017

 List of Uploaded Documents:-

1. Complete Project proposal

2. Biodata

3. Certificate from PI

4. Conflict of interest

5. Endorsement from head of Institute

 APPLICATION FOR SWARNAJAYANTI FELLOWSHIP

1. Broad Subject Area: Engineering Sciences

2. Sub-area of the proposed project: Instrumentation, Calibration
3. Title of the proposed project: Design, Calibration and Flight Testing of Micro
Air Data System
4. Name of the Candidate/Applicant: Dr C. Ramprasadh
5. Mailing address:
Senior Assistant Professor
School of Mechanical Engineering
SASTRA Deemed University
Tirumalaisamudram
Thanjavur – 613401
Telephone: +91-4362-264101; EXTN:3765
Mobile: +91-9489550188
Email: [email protected]
6. Date of Birth: 30.06.1979
7. Age as on 31-12-2017: 38 year, 06 month, 1day
8. Educational Qualifications: B.E., M.Tech., Ph.D.
(Starting from Bachelors degree onwards)
S.No. Degree University/ Year of Thesis topic/ Subjects Percentage
Board passing studied of marks
or CGPA
1. Bachelor of Bharathidasan 2001 Mechanical Engineering 68.98 %
Engineering University
2. Master of VIT Deemed 2004 Mechatronics 8.85 CGPA
Technology University
3. Doctor of IIT Bombay 2012 Estimation of 7.9 CPI in
Philosophy Aerodynamic Angles in coursework
a Mini Aerial Vehicle
using Sensor Fusion

9. Name of the Ph.D Guide/Supervisor:

Prof. Hemedra Arya, Associate Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian
Institute of Technology Bombay.
 10. Professional Training, Publication Details and Ongoing/Completed Projects
a) Details of professional training and research experience, specifying period.
1. Underwent training on Curriculum Development conducted by National Institute of
Technical Teachers' Training and Research
2. Attended one week CCE workshop on Applied Nonlinear Control at IISc Bangalore during
2009.
b) List of significant publications with impact factor of the journal during the last 7 years
(Published in SCI Journals) along with list of patents.

Name of
S.No. Author(s) Title Volume Page Year
Journal

Raja Vardhan K Design of a International

Reddy, SM proportional-integral Journal of Volume:
1. Sambasivam, S controller to track Micro Air 9 15-24 2017
Prem, C pitch angle in a mini Vehicles issue: 1
Ramprasadh aerial vehicle (SCIE)
A CFD Study on
International
Leading Edge Wing
Journal of
Surface Modification
C. Ramprasadh, Micro Air Volume: 361-
2. V. Devanandh
of a Low Aspect 2015
Vehicle 7 issue: 3 373
Ratio Flying wing to
(SCIE)
Improve Lift
Performance.
Multistage-Fusion
Algorithm for
Journal of
Estimation of Volume
C.Ramprasadh, Aircraft 93-
3. Hemendra Arya
Aerodynamic Angles 49 2012
(SCI) 100
in Mini Aerial issue: 1
Vehicle

A Monte Carlo
Analysis of Sensor International
Fusion Algorithm for Journal of
C.Ramprasadh, Volume:
4. Hemendra Arya
the Estimation of Micro Air 35-47 2011
3 issue: 1
Aerodynamic Angles Vehicles
in a Mini Aerial (SCIE)
Vehicle
Factor of Publications: Cumulative Impact Factor of Publications = 2.318
Refereed Conference Publications
C.Ramprasadh, Hemendra Arya, “Estimation of Aerodynamic Angles in a Mini Aerial
Vehicle” 5th International Conference on Theoretical, Applied, Computational and
5.
Experimental Mechanics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. 26th – 29th Dec -
2010.
 C.Ramprasadh, Hemendra Arya, “A Multi-Stage Fusion Algorithm for the Estimation
6. of Aerodynamic Angles in a Mini Aerial Vehicle”, 49th Aerospace Sciences Meeting,
Orlando, USA. 4th – 7th Jan - 2011.
C.Ramprasadh, Hemendra Arya, “Estimation of Aerodynamic Angles in a Mini Aerial
7. Vehicle under Turbulent Atmosphere” AIAA Atmospheric flight Mechanics
Conference, Portland, USA. 8th – 11th Aug - 2011.
L.Sankaralingam, S.Prem. C. Ramprasadh, "Validation of Complimentary Filter
Algorithm for Angle of Attack Estimation using wind tunnel Measurements", National
8. Conference on Wind Tunnel Testing (NCWT-05), Jointly organized by Anna
University, Madras Institute of Technology Campus and CSIR-SERC, Chennai. 16th –
17th Mar - 2017.
L. Sankaralingam, S. Prem, C. Ramprasadh, Ravi Doddamani, Parag Deshpande, Suraj
9. CS “A Simple Method for Estimation of Angle of Attack” ACODS 2018 Hyderabad
18th – 22nd Feb 2018.
c) Details of project being implemented/ completed as Principal Investigator/ Co-PI along with its
salient features.

Intramural Research Grant:

Project Title: Design, Fabrication and Flying of Multi-rotor UAV for

Aerial Surveillance and Crowd Monitoring
Funded By: SASTRA University, TRR Research Funds
Duration: One Year (January 2016 to January 2017)
Cost: Rs. 4.85 Lakhs
Project Status: Completed

Extramural Research Grant:

Project Title: “Validation of Alpha Estimators in Mini Aerial Vehicles”

Funded by: Aeronautical Research and Development Board
Panel: SIGMA (Special Interest Group in Micro Aerial Vehicles)
Duration: 2 Years (from 2016-01 to 2018-01); Extension of duration is requested till June 30th
2018.
Grant Number: ARDB/01/2021791/M/I
Cost: Rs. 13.85 Lakhs
Project Status: Ongoing

Practical Applications of the Recent Research:

The current work focuses on the validation of four different schemes of estimation
of Angle of Attack (AOA) that are developed for Mini-UAVs. All the necessary
measurements for estimation of AOA are recorded along with the actual
measurements (of AOA). Using the post flight data in a MATLAB program, the
estimation algorithms are validated by comparing the estimated and the actual
measurements of alpha and the performances of the estimation schemes are
evaluated.
11. Details of employment including current employment.
Name of the
S.No. Designation From To Pay Scale
Institute
1. Lecturer SASTRA 23.06.2004 18.07.2007 8250-250-10000
University
2. Assistant SASTRA 02.01.2012 31.03.2013 23800-700-28200
Professor III University
3. Senior Assistant SASTRA 01.04.2013 Present 28300-800-39500
Professor University

12. Professional recognition, awards, fellowships received.

NIL
13. Name of the institution where project is to be implemented.
SASTRA Deemed University
14. Confirm if you have been an applicant for this Fellowship in the last 5 years.
NO
15. Details of the proposed project to be undertaken during the fellowship period:
a. Title of the Project: Design, Calibration and Flight Testing of Micro
Air Data System
b. Objectives:

Design and Fabrication of Multi-Hole Micro Air Data Probe

Setting up of a calibration facility for the calibration of Multi-
hole probes.
 Calibration of the Micro Air Data Probe
 Developing an indigenous Air Data Computer system for in-
flight measurement of flow angles.
 Flight Testing of the air data system and
 Validation of the flow angle measurements
c. International Status:
The current international status shows that a few commercially available micro
probes are available at an expensive rate. The important gap found is that the
calibration of such micro probes is extremely difficult. The facility for
calibrating micro air data probes is limitedly available and as a matter of fact is
mostly unavailable in India.
From the literature, it is understood that the methods for measuring the Angle of
Attack has been evolved and some of the best methods are adopted for the bigger
aircrafts. But for small unmanned aircrafts, the Angle of Attack measurement is
still in developing stage. Sung-Hyunkim and Yound-jin kang have developed a
five-hole multi-function probe (FHMFP) and calibrated the probe using multiple
regressions. They used CFD analysis to find the optimum probe hole diameter and
hole position angle and calibrated the probe using the windtunnel. Their
accuracy of calibration is ±0.91º for a cone angle of 0-30º and ±2.0º for a cone
angle of 30º-43º [1]. Ratneswar Majumdar and D. Chowdary have studied the
Null and Non- Null calibration techniques of the five-hole probe. They developed
an algorithm which utilizes a database of calibration data to analyze the
techniques and found that Non-Null calibration method is superior in the ease of
use and prediction of flow measurement variables than the Null technique [2].
A five-hole pressure probe is built and calibrated by Armando caldera-pires and
Rodrigo QueirozNeiva. They manufactured the probe with one central hole and
four circumferential holes. The fixed method (the Non-null method) of calibration
is utilized by them to calibrate the probe. From the wind tunnel calibration, they
found out that the probe presented a good performance and suggested the Non-
null method of calibration over the null method [3]. A refined calibration
technique has been presented by G.L. Morrison and M. T. Schobiri for the five-
hole pressure probes operating in Non-Null mode. They utilized the 3D curve
fitting program to analyze the data obtained from the probe. From the 3D
surfaces, any of the machining abnormalities in the probe can be determined and
also to find the range of flow angles the probe can measure [4].
An Estimation Algorithm was designed and implemented by Andreas Gab to
estimate the real-time aerodynamic parameters on a small remotely piloted
Aircraft. The Extended Kalman Filter was adapted for aerodynamic parameter
estimation. He reconstructed the aerodynamic coefficients from the inertial
measurements which were used by the estimation algorithm in the process of
estimation. The data were collected by using a remotely piloted Aircraft in
various flight modes like manual, Attitude control and waypoint navigation. He
compared the in-flight recorded data and the data from windtunnel tests to prove
the performance of the Parameter Identification Algorithm. Even though some
minor derivatives are non-identifiable, still he proved the general feasibility of the
approach [5]. Demethi Telionis and Yihong Yang have studied and summarized
the recent developments in the multi-hole probe technology like instrumentation
and calibration methods. They also discussed about the inertial effects, probe’s
frequency response, the wide range of Mach number for which the probe can be
operated. They also summarized the effects of tip and stem shapes of the probe on
the pressure measurement, the probe interface effects during the measurement.
They have given a detailed procedure to find the uncertainties in the measurement
which can be used for error analysis [6].
Benjamin Hall and Thomas Povey have developed an open-access five-hole probe
named as oxford probe for experimental aerodynamic measurements. The probe
geometry, drawings, calibration maps and software, are given under common
license so that the end user can manufacture and use the probe. The application
and limitation of the probe have been discussed, and it has been compared with
sixteen probes manufactured in different materials and at different scales having a
same geometrical design. They have concluded that the oxford probe is having a
typical error in Alpha, Beta lower than two degrees and an average error in a
dynamic pressure lower than approximately 7% equivalent to a velocity error of
no more than 3.5% [7]. Scott has discussed a calibration technique. O. Kjelgaard
for a five-hole probe having Hemispherical-Tip. The potential flow equations for
flow over a sphere relating flow angle and velocity to pressure differentials
measured by the probe are utilized in this technique. The calibration data were fit
to the potential flow equations to obtain the calibrations co-efficient which were
used to convert the measured pressures into flow Angularity and Velocity [8].
The problem of turbulence measurement was taken up by N. Wildman, S. Ravi
and J. Bange and explained the method of measuring the fluctuating parts of
airflow using a five-hole probe in flight up to 20 Hz. This study includes a re-
evaluation of the pneumatic tubing setup, the conversion from pressure to
airspeed, the pressure transducers and the Data Acquisition System. A suggestion
by them to avoid the common error of vibration sensitivity in membrane-based
pressure transducers by using thermal flow sensors [9]. Akshoy Ranjan Paul and
Anuj Jain have studied the various calibration algorithms for the five-hole probe.
The authors have defined the non-dimensional pressure coefficients in different
ways, and they proposed a new set of pressure coefficients to reduce the
computational errors in calculating the flow parameters. They have taken the
central hole (P5) pressure to define the pressure coefficients and concluded that
their pressure normalization technique performs better than other normalization
techniques [10]. A new method has been developed by A. J. Pisasale and N. A.
Ahmed to extend the calibration range of five-hole probe. In the non-nulling
calibration method, the range of angles is low due to the encounter of singularity.
In the common calibration mode where P1 is considered as the total pressure and
P is considered as the static pressure. Consequently, the difference between the
two pressures, P1- P , is taken to represent the dynamic pressure, which is used to
non-dimensionalise the calibration pressure coefficients. However, in a non-
nulling mode, for large angles of both yaw and pitch, P1 and P deviate
significantly from the actual total and static pressure, and therefore, their
difference no longer represents the dynamic pressure. When this dynamic
pressure value goes to zero which produces a singularity because the dynamic
pressure term is used in the denominator. The Authors developed a method to
avoid the singularity and extended the calibration range to angles up to ±75º [11].
H. Babinsky and U. Kuschel developed a new method to measure the flow
pressure by using micro electro mechanical systems technology. The MEMS-
based pressure sensors are incorporated in the probe head itself to give a very
high-frequency response (>100 KHz). They used small planner pressure sensors
mounted underneath the pressure holes. They also explored many unconventional
probe head designs. From the Analysis, they have concluded that their method of
using planner array of pressure sensors has the advantage over the traditional
designs and the addition of passive fences significantly increases the sensitivity of
the probe [12].
C. Ostowari and W. H. Wents jr have developed a method for extending the
useful measurement range up to 85º. The technique involves adjustment of the
calibration coefficients to allow valid calibration at larger flow angles, and the
extended range is valid only in the direction of the pitch. The coefficients are
adjusted by replacing the center port pressure with the upwind port pressure as the
total reference pressure and replacing the stalled downwind port pressure with the
center port pressure [13]. Nekkanti Sitaram and Kancherla Srikanth have
investigated various chamfer angles to find the optimum chamfer angle of the
five-hole probes. They have designed and fabricated a special five-hole probe of
9.6mm head diameter, and 3mm diameter pressure take-off tubes. To minimize
the machining inaccuracies they have selected the large dimensions. They have
varied the chamfer angle from 30º to 60º in 5º steps, and the probe was calibrated
in the range of -30º to +30º in the 5º interval. They have concluded that the five-
hole probe with a chamfer angle 30 degree has large operating range, while the
five-hole probe with chamfer angle of 50 degrees has good sensitivity [14].
The calibration of Pitot static systems and the five-hole probe is carried out by V.
Parameswaran, R. V. Jategonkar and M. Press using the flight test data. The
parameter estimation techniques based on output error is used to calibrate the
angle of attack and angle of sideslip during the dynamic manoeuvres with rapid
variations in the aircraft motion. To calibrate the flow variables they used a
complementary approach based on the Kalman filter technique. They used a
classical approach of altitude determination through geometry evaluation of
photographs using tower flyby manoeuvres. They have concluded that the
estimated sensitivity factors for the flow angles measured by the five-hole probe
are reasonably accurate with manufacturer’s specifications with subject to
corrections for biases resulting from misalignment and time delays caused by the
recording equipment [15]. Sang Woo Lee and Sang Bae Jun have investigated the
effects of Reynolds number on the non-nulling calibration of a typical cone type
five-hole probe. They have changed the pitch and yaw angles from -35 degrees to
35 degrees with an angle interval of 5 degrees. The Reynolds number is taken in
the range between 6.60x103 and 3.17x104. They have concluded that Reynolds
numbers dependency is affected significantly by the pith and yaw angles. The
static pressure coefficient is sensitive to the Reynolds number nearly all over the
pitch and yaw angle range, and a remarkable Reynolds number effect is observed
on the total pressure coefficient when the absolute values of the pitch and yaw
angles are larger than 20 Degrees [16].
The effects of Reynolds number, Mach number and turbulence on the calibration
of the commonly used five-hole probe was studied by R. G. Doming and H. P.
Hodson. They have confirmed the existence of two distinct Reynolds number
effects. At low Reynolds numbers, flow separation around the probe head affects
the calibration and compressibility is shown to have little influence on the general
behaviour of these probes. They also found that probes with their pressure holes
set perpendicular to the probe surfaces were less sensitive to changes in the
Reynolds number. The cone and Pyramid probes have shown no difference in the
performance when the probe is nulled [17]. P M Ligrani, B A Singer and L R
Baun developed a miniature five hole pressure probe with a tip diameter of
1.22mm. They developed the probe to measure three mean velocities using the
non-nulling procedure. The utility of the miniature five-hole probe was
demonstrated, and measurements of streamwise mean vorticity and streamwise
mean velocity are given over a portion of 12.7 x 508.0 mm cross section of the
curved channel. At a Dean number of 119 structural characteristics of Dean
vortices are evident from contours of the streamwise velocity, the total pressure
and the streamwise component of mean vorticity determined from secondary flow
vectors [18].
Martin. J. Conlon, Alexander Wright and Hamza M. Abo El Ella have brought out
a new calibration and data analysis strategy that gives shorter calibration times
and more robust data reduction. The flow angularity was predicted using a deep
neural network based on seven pressure readings. They have shown that the final
network has four hidden layers with rectified linear transfer functions. The input
and output layers have improved the prediction accuracy by sixty percentage
using the network yield when compared with the more traditional section based
approach. The neural network-based approach also allows for some interesting
possibilities: when an established architecture is applied to a similar problem a
common training technique involves reinitializing the weights of only the last few
layers, in order to speed training [19]. A miniature conical five-hole probe of 30
degrees half angle was numerically calibrated by Ivana M Milanovic and Iraj M
Kalkhoran at supersonic Mach numbers. The calibration data were generated for a
range of Mach numbers, and pitch angles of interest using a three-dimensional
thin layer Navier stokes solver. They used a series of windtunnel tests including
low Mach number and high angularity flow field to validate the computed
pressure distributions [20].
C. F. R Nowack has described an improved calibration method for a five-hole
spherical Pitot probe. The author has taken the direction of velocity vector by two
Cartesian angles, one lying in the horizontal equatorial plane and other in a
vertical meridian plane containing the velocity vector. A five-hole spherical probe
of 14.75mm diameter with drilled holes of 1mm diameter was developed. One of
these holes is centrally positioned, and the other four are all situated at 45 degrees
from the central hole. He concluded that his method of calibration could be done
within a reasonable time as compared to nulling method and the probe is handy in
use particularly suitable for quantitative flow measurements on models in
combustion research [21]. A traditional calibration method was developed by A J
Pisasale and N A Ahmed by using the potential flow theory. They have examined
the theoretical limitations and gave a theoretical basis for extending the range of
angles included in calibration. They have concluded that their method will assist
in overcoming singularity in the calibration of spherical probes and possibly allow
for an extension in the range of calibration for the five-hole probes of different
shapes [22]. M A Wright has discussed about a new method of calibration for five
hole spherical and hemispherical Pitometers. The author showed the theoretical
and practical evaluation of the method to have simplified calibration curves,
reduced probability of misinterpretation of the data and suitable for automatic
computation. He concluded that difficulties in the Pitometers could seriously
affect the accuracy of the measurements and also the lack of knowledge of the
environment like the value of fluid density could lead to errors up to 30
percentages or more. Therefore correction factors have to be established to make
accurate calibration of the five-hole Pitometers [23].
References:
[1] Sung-Hyun Kim and Young-Jin Kang, “Calibration of a Five-Hole
Multi-Function Probe for Helicopter Air Data Sensors”, Int’l J. of
Aeronautical & Space Sciences, Vol. 10, No. 2, November 2009.
[2] Ratneswar Majumdar and D. Chowdary, “ Calibration of A Five-Hole
Probe in Null and Non-Null Technique”, Int. Journal of Engineering Research
and Applications, ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 6, Issue 5, (Part - 7) May 2016, pp.27-
32.
[3] Armando Caldeira-Pires and Rodrigo Queiroz Neiva, “Experimental
study of a five-hole pressure probe for measuring three mean velocity
components”, International Congress of Mechanical Engineering November 5-9,
2007, Brasília, DF.
[4] G.L. Morrison , M.T. Schobeiri, K.R. Pappu, “Five-hole pressure probe
analysis technique”, Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 9 (1998) 153–158.
[5] Andreas Gäb, “Real-Time Parameter Estimation for Mini Aerial
Vehicles using Low-Cost Hardware”, RWTH Aachen University, 26 October
2012.
[6] Demetri Telionis, Yihong Yang, “Recent Developments in Multi-Hole
Probe (MHP) Technology”, International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
November 15-20, 2009, Gramado, RS, Brazil.
[7] Benjamin Hall and Thomas Povey, “The Oxford Probe: An open access
five-hole probe for aerodynamic measurements”, Measurement Science and
Technology · January 2017.
[8] Scott 0. Kjelgaard, “Theoretical Derivation and Calibration Technique
of a Hemispherical-Tipped, Five-Hole Probe”, NASA Technical Memorandum
4047, Langley Research Center Hamfiton, Virginia.
[9] N. Wildmann, S. Ravi, and J. Bange, “Towards higher accuracy and
better frequency response with standard multi-hole probes in turbulence
measurement with remotely piloted aircraft (RPA)”, Atmospheric
Measurement Techniques, 7, 1027–1041, 2014.
[10] Akshoy Ranjan Paul , Ravi Ranjan Upadhyay, Anuj Jain, “A novel
calibration algorithm for five-hole pressure probe”, International Journal of
Engineering, Science and Technology Vol. 3, No. 2, 2011, pp. 89-95.
[11] A.J. Pisasale, N.A. Ahmed, “A novel method for extending the
calibration range of five-hole probe for highly three-dimensional flows”,
Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 13 (2002) 23–30.
[12] H. Babinsky, U. Kuschel, “Geometries for Five-Hole-Type Probes with
Planar Sensor Arrays”, AIAA JOURNAL, VOL. 39, NO. 12: Technical Notes.
[13] C. Ostowari and W. H. Wents jr, “Modified Calibration Technique of a
Five-Hole Probe for High Flow Angles”, Experiments in Fluids – Technical
notes.
[14] Nekkanti Sitaram and Kancherla Srikanth, “Effect of Chamfer Angle on
the Calibration Curves of Five Hole Probes”, International Journal of Rotating
Machinery Volume 2014, Article ID 704315.
 [15] V. Parameswaran, R. V. Jategonkar and M. Press, “Five-Hole Flow Angle
Probe Calibration from Dynamic and Tower Flyby Maneuvers”, JOURNAL
OF AIRCRAFT Vol. 42, No. 1, January–February 2005.
[16] Sang Woo Lee, Sang Bar Jan, “Reynolds Number Effects on the Non-
Nulling Calibration of a Cone-Type Five-Hole Probe for Turbomachinery
Applications”, Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology (KSME Int. J.),
Iiol. 19, No. 8, pp. 1632~1648, 2005.
[17] R. G. Doming and H. P. Hodson, “An Investigation of Factors
Influencing the Calibration of Five-Hole Probes for Three-Dimensional Flow
Measurements”, Journal of Turbomachinery, JULY 1993, Vol. 115/513.
[18] P M Ligrani, B A Singer and L R Baun, “Miniature five-hole pressure
probe for measurement of three mean velocity components in low-speed
flows”, Journal of Physics E: Scientific Instruments 22 (1989) 868-876.
[19] Martin. J. Conlon, Alexander Wright and Hamza M. Abo El Ella,
“Measurement of large flow angles with non-nulling multi-hole pressure
probes”, Proceedings of ASME Turbo Expo 2017: Turbomachinery Technical
Conference and Exposition GT2017 June 26-30, 2017, Charlotte, NC, USA
[20] Milanovic and Iraj M Kalkhoran, “Numerical calibration of a conical
five-hole probe for supersonic measurements”, Meas. Sci. Technol. 11 (2000)
1812–1818.
[21] C. F. R Nowack, “Improved calibration method for a five-hole
spherical Pitot probe”, 1970 Journal of Physics E: Scientific Instruments 321.
[22] A J Pisasale and N A Ahmed, “Theoretical calibration for highly three-
dimensional low-speed flows of a five-hole probe”, MEASUREMENT
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 13 (2002) 1100–1107
[23] M A Wright, “The evaluation of a simplified form of presentation for
five-hole spherical and hemispherical Pitometers calibration data”, 1970
Journal of Physics E: Scientific Instruments 3 356
d. National Status:
At present, development of micro air-data systems are in the starting phase in our
country. Design, development and calibration of a multi-hole air data probe
system with necessary air data computer for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
is highly challenging. This is mainly due to the unavailability of calibration
facilities. There are only a few methods available to measure the Angle Of Attack
(AOA) during the flight in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Angle of attack is a
critical quantity as far as flying qualities are concerned. This flow angle is an
important parameter which directly contributes to the aerodynamic forces. If one
has the accurate values of AOA, the aircraft can be controlled in highly
unconventional missions as well. Some of the methods to measure the Angle Of
Attack are given below.
1. AOA Measurement using Multi-Hole Air Data Probes
Multi-hole probe systems are conventionally used in measurement of flow
angles. Bigger aircrafts use such systems effectively and with ease. The
flight instrumentation is not a difficult task. But, as that of mini UAVs,
flight instrumentation with multi-hole probe system and its air data
computer without breaching the weight constraint is highly challenging.
 Few commercially available probes and air data computers are capable of
being installed in mini flyers. This involves high cost as such micro air data
systems are very difficult to calibrate.
2. Vane Systems
Angle of attack/Sideslip vanes are an alternative type of solution for
measuring flow angles in mini aerial vehicles. Such probes are available at
low cost and light weight, but are less accurate.
3. Estimation Algorithms
Estimation of flow angles is the other alternative method, which is highly
exigent. This involves a huge dependency on other sensor measurements
typically available with the sensor suite instrumented in flight, their
accuracy, computational ability, the process model and its accuracy ect.,
e. Gaps in the area and how you propose to understand the gap(s):
The current proposal considers the vast gap in the design, calibration and
development of micro air data probe in our country. Currently, the methods
available to calibrate the probe are not well developed in our country. This project
is mainly proposes to develop an indigenous Micro Air Data Probe and on board
computing system, which could be mounted over Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with
wingspans of 500 mm and above to measure the Angle Of Attack. For this
purpose, it is proposed to setup a calibration facility with a table top wind tunnel.
Design of a micro air data probe is to be taken up and fabrication through 3D
printing could be done. Such micro air data probe with different number of holes
could be manufactured and tested in the wind tunnel. A LABVIEW based data
acquisition system interfaced with a workstation is required for calibration of the
micro probe. Further, it is proposed that a light weight micro air data computer to
be developed for flight instrumentation for on board flow angle measurement
using the micro air data probe.
f. Proposed Methodology & Work plan (in detail):
The current proposal aims at developing a micro air data probe system to measure
the Angle of Attack in mini UAVs. It is proposed to setup a calibration facility for
the same. For this purpose, a table top wind tunnel with state of the art data
acquisition system with LABVIEW support has to be established. Figure 1 shows
the schematic of the proposed table top wind tunnel. Later, few micro air data
probes (with three and five holes) are to be manufactured (using 3D printing
technology; SASTRA has a Technology Business Incubator (TBI) on 3D
Printing) which could be mounted in the wind tunnel and calibrated. A multi-hole
probe is a type of pitot-static probe used to measure the pitch and yaw angles.
These flow angles are calculated using the pressure difference measured between
the holes. The pictorial representation of such a micro air data probe is shown in
figure 2.
 Figure 1. Schematic of the Proposed Tabletop Wind Tunnel

Figure 2. Multi-Hole Probe and Micro Air Data Computer

The project will be executed in the following sequence of operations.

1. Establishment of Tabletop Wind Tunnel and Calibration Facility for the micro air data
system.
2. Design and fabrication of Micro Air Data Probes.
3. Calibration of the probe using wind tunnel.
4. Development of Electronic Boards for the Micro Air Data Computer. This includes
design of appropriate signal conditioning system. The important constraint here is that the
weight of the entire system should be less than 100 gm. So that the total weigh along with
the multi-hole probe will be around 100 to 120 gm. This would enable its use in mini
UAVs for flow angle measurement.
5. Flight testing and validation.
The following chart shown in figure 3 brings out clearly the proposed methodology and work-
plan of the research work.
 Important Milestones for the Project
1. Literature Review, establishment of Tabletop wind tunnel facility
2. Design, Fabricate micro air data probe.
3. Mount and test the multi hole probe in the wind tunnel. Generate calibration curves.
4. Design and develop the micro sir data computer with appropriate signal conditioning
unit.
5. Instrument, flight test and validate the Multi-hole probe with the air data computer.

 Instrument, flight test and validate the Multi-

hole probe with the air data computer.
 Design and develop light weight micro air data
computer with appropriate signal conditioning
unit.
 Mount and test the multi-hole probe in the wind
tunnel. Generate calibration curves
 Design and fabricate the micro multi-hole air data
probes.
 Literature Review, Establishment of Tabletop Wind Tunnel
Facility.
T0 T06 T12 T24 T36 T48
Current Works Work to be Done

Figure 3. Gantt Chart

g. Details of Main experiments to be carried out along with what hypothesis and model it
will test:
The proposed work includes the following experiments to be carried out.
a. Design, fabrication and testing of micro multi hole probe.
b. Flow analysis of the multi-hole probe in a tabletop wind tunnel with LABVIEW data
acquisition.
c. Calibration of the multi-hole probe at various flow angles and airspeeds.
d. Generation of pressure calibration curves.
e. Development of a micro air data computer. Selection of a high resolution ADC and
pressure sensors for the calibration of the micro air data computer.
f. Experimentation of the multi hole probe along with the micro air data computer in a
mini UAV.
g. Validation of the results with the measurements available from a commercially
available probe.
h. Likely Impact of the results / outcome on fundamental understanding and applications
(if any):
The proposed will result in the calibration capabilities of our country as far as micro air
data and flow angle measurements are concerned. The development of micro probes and
 light weight micro air data computer would greatly help the mini UAV research and
development of our country.
i. Likely Deliverables:
The likely deliverables are,
(i) Micro Air Data Probe capable of measuring flow angles along with
(ii) Light weight micro air data computer which could be mounted on mini
UAVs without breaching the weight constraint.
j. Novelty of the proposal:
The main novelty of the proposal is that this research work focuses on development of a
very light weight flow angle measurement system. This requires a capable calibration
facility to be shaped up. As the calibration of such micro hole probes are highly
expensive (as provided by few commercial companies such as Aeroprobe Inc. USA), this
research work proposes to attempt at developing a low cost solution for this application.
16. Details on applicant’s expertise, the research work engaged in at present, future plan,
prospects after the fellowship, how are these related to the strengthening of basic
research in the country etc.
Applicant’s Expertise
The principal investigator has a reasonably good experience in UAV dynamics, state
estimation and instrumentation and control. The PI has written his Ph.D. thesis in estimation
of angle of attack and the following research contributions have been reported.

As part of his PhD work at IIT Bombay (which is also supported by ARDB)

1. Estimation of Aerodynamic Angles in MAV using Sensor Fusion Technique

2. A simple method for estimation of aerodynamic angles has been reported in the thesis.

His thesis has contributed the following to advance the current state of the art.

1. Design of a simple algebraic method of estimation for AOA and SSA (ES1)
2. Design of EKF estimation scheme (ES2) using wind axes equations
3. Design of EKF estimation scheme (ES3) using body axes equations
4. Design of EKF estimation algorithm (ES3 aided with ES1 estimates) with Pseudo-
measurements of AOA and SSA
5. Robustness Analysis on the estimation schemes
6. Estimation of Aerodynamic Angles using Simplified Aerodynamic Model

His thesis has presented all the above estimation techniques with a simplified aerodynamic
model structure. The results show that the estimates of the algebraic method in high AOA
region exhibit bias due to the way in which the aerodynamic model was simplified. The
other two schemes perform well with the simplified aerodynamic model.
 Apart from the above, his thesis claims the following as minor contributions to state of the
art.
1. Design of a Complementary Filter technique for estimating AOA using the Newton
Raphson steady-state solution of AOA. This could be considered as another variant of the
algebraic method.
2. Estimation of AOA and SSA using estimated aircraft parameters. A separate offline EKF
algorithm was developed to identify the aircraft parameters which were used for estimation
of aerodynamic angles.
3. The inclusion of the effects of wind turbulence in the estimation schemes.
4. A complete analysis of different cases and combinations of estimation schemes and
available measurements from resource availability point of view.
5. A standard EKF estimation scheme (ES2) was also designed to verify and compare the
quality of estimated AOA and SSA.
Ongoing Project Details:
The principal investigator has an ongoing project funded by the AR&DB on the validation of the
estimation schemes of AOA. These schemes are currently being validated by performing post
flight analysis. All the sensor the data along with the direct measurement of AOA obtained from
Angle of Attack vane (Smart miniature vane) are recorded and used in a post flight analysis for
validation of the estimated AOA. The Smart miniature vane sensor is mounted on the Flight
vehicle. A data logger is used to log the data from vane sensor and the flight controller.
1
Estimated Alpha using combined ES1 and ES3
0.8 Estimated Alpha using ES1
Estimated Alpha using ES3
0.6 Measured Alpha from Flight test using Vane sensor
Angle of Attack (Rad)

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 x104
No of Iterations

Figure 4. Comparison of Estimated AOA with Vane Probe Measurements

1.4

Error Mean ES1

1.2 Error Mean ES3
Error Mean combined ES1 and ES3
1

0.8
Mean Error ( rad )

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2
0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

Figure 5. Error Comparison of Estimated AOA

Figure 4 and 5 provide the comparison between measured and estimated AOA from different
estimation schemes. The Estimated Angle of Attack by the ES1, ES3, combination of ES1 and
ES3 are compared with measured AOA and the error statistics were determined.
All other required data are collected using a data logger connected to the Flight control board.
Using the collected data, the Angle of Attack is estimated using the Estimation Schemes. The
Estimated Angle of Attack and Measured Angle of Attack are compared to find the accuracy of
the Estimation Schemes. From the results, it is inferred that the combined ES1 and ES3 is having
high accuracy than separate ES1 and ES3.
Current Research Interests
The current research to start exploring such a micro probe is by performing a CFD analysis. For
this purpose, a solid model of a micro multi-hole probe is created using SolidWorks. The solid
model is imported in the ANSYS Fluent environment for CFD analysis. Figure 6 and 7 show the
solid model of the micro probe and its mesh generation respectively.

Figure 6. A Five-Hole Micro Air Data Probe

Figure 7. Mesh Generation

The flow analysis on the above mentioned system is currently being carried out. This would
result in generation of the fundamental idea on the calibration of the micro level pressures of the
air data probe.

17. Detailed financial requirements with justifications for 5 years and phasing for each
year (Manpower, Consumables, Contingency, Travel National & International,
Equipment/s, Any other).

Summary of Total Budget:

(in Rs.)
Budget 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total:
Year Year Year Year Year
Manpower 330000 330000 369600 369600 NA 1399200
Consumables 100000 100000 100000 100000 NA 400000
Travel
(National & 30000 30000 230000 30000 NA 320000
International)
Contingency 100000 100000 100000 100000 NA 400000
Any Other NA NA NA NA NA
0
Cost
Equipment 7270000 NA 300000 NA NA 7570000
Overheads 783000 56000 109960 59960 NA 1008920
Total 8613000 616000 1209560 659560 NA 11089200

a. Budget for Research Manpower

Designation
n Monthly (in
& number BUDGET
Emoluments Rupees)
of persons
2nd 3rd 4th Year 5th Year
n n 1st Year Total
Year Year
Rs. 25000+10%
JRF, 1 No.
HRA for first 330000 330000 369600 369600 NA 1399200
n
two years. Rs.
28000+10%
HRA for next
n Total two years 330000 330000 369600 369600 NA 1399200

Justification for the manpower requirement:

As per the Institute norms, the salary structure of Junior Research Fellow with Post Graduate
qualification in relevant discipline is Rs. 25,000/- plus 10% HRA per month for the first two
years and Rs. 28000/- plus 10% HRA per month for the next two years. This is in line with the
stipend of JRF recommended by Department of Science and Technology (DST). The proposed
research work involves setting up of a tabletop wind tunnel with necessary computing and data
acquisition for testing and calibration of the proposed micro air data system. The research work
includes instrumentation, signal conditioning, flight testing, validation and analysis. Therefore,
to execute these tasks, support from the Junior Research Fellow is required.

b. Budget for Consumable Materials

1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year 5th Year Total
Total
100000 100000 100000 100000 NA 400000

Justification for costly consumables:

It includes the purchase of fabrication of PCBs, electronic components, Sensors, Calibration
Setups, Data Acquisition Boards, reference books, standards, stationeries and office equipment
etc., It is also necessary for buying UAV components which may get broken/damaged during
flight testing.

c. Budget for Travel

Travel BUDGET (in Rupees)
n 1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year 5th Year Total
International (PI) NIL NIL 200000 NIL NIL 200000
National (PI) 20000 20000 20000 20000 NIL 80000
National(Research
10000 10000 10000 10000 NIL 40000
Personnel/s)
Total 30000 30000 230000 30000 NIL 320000

Justification for travel:

Due to Geographical locations, any of the investigators need to visit various R&D laboratories
and major institutes of the country. These visits are mainly for technical design data collection
and conference participation.

d. Budget for Contingencies

1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year 5th Year Total
Total 100000 100000 100000 100000 NA 400000

Justification for Contingencies:

It includes fabrication costs (of the multi-hole probes), 3D printing charges, the purchase of
reference books, standards, stationeries and office equipment like a table for workstation etc., for
the smooth execution of the project as well as for other miscellaneous expenditure.
e. Budget for Other Costs:
1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year 5th Year Total
Total NA NA NA NA NA NA

Justification for Other costs, if any: NA

f. Budget for Equipment

Estimated
Generic name of the Imported/Indigeno Spare time for other
Sl. No. Costs
Equipment us users (in %)
(in Rs.)
Tabletop Wind Tunnel
with National
1 Imported 5670000 20%
Instruments LABView
DAQ facility
Aeroprobe Inc. Micro
Air Data System
2 Imported 800000 20%
(micro five-hole probe
and air data computer)
Other Electronic
Components such as
3 ADC, Pressure sensors Imported/Indigenous 500000 30%
for development of air
data computer
4 Workstations, 2 Nos. Dell Workstations 300000 20%
Aircraft Components
5 Imported/Indigenous 300000 20%
for Flight Test
Total 7570000 -

Detailed Justification for the proposed equipment/s. (Also kindly state if similar equipment is
available in the Institute and its usage.)

S.No. 1: The proposed research work involves wind tunnel calibration and characterization of
both the micro air data probe as well as the flight vehicle. It involves computing requirements
and data acquisition. Therefore a tabletop wind tunnel with necessary computational facility is
required.

S. No. 2: Aeroprobe Inc. manufactures and calibrates micro air data systems and supplies
commercially worldwide. One such probe is required for validation of the micro air data system.
S. No. 3: The proposed work involves development of light weight air data computer. This
requires pressure sensors, electronic circuitry such as high accuracy ADC, microcontroller and
signal conditioning units etc.,

S. No. 4: The proposed work involves data acquisition, programming of flight control boards
during flight testing phase. Thus two workstations are needed for executing the project work
smoothly.

S. No. 5: The proposed work involves fabrication of customized flight vehicle, This requires
aircraft components such as fuselage, motors, propellers, electronic speed controllers, connecting
rods, control horns etc.,

g. Budget for Overheads:

1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year 5th Year Total
Total 783000 56000 109960 59960 NA 1008920
Justification for Overheads:
Institute overhead charges (at 10%) include costs for utilizing infrastructural and other facilities
of the institute.
18. a) Complete list of publications in SCI journals & other referred journals in chronologically
descending order beginning with publications in 2018 along with impact factor of the journal.
Provided in Item No. 10, b)
b) List of book chapters, edited books may be indicated separately along with patents in your
name.
NIL

19. Any other relevant matter.

NIL

20. List of documents attached:

A – Endorsement from the Head of Institution (To be given on Institute letter head)

B – Certificate from Applicant (PI)

C – Conflict of Interest format from Applicant (PI)

D – Biodata

***
 Bio-Data
1. Name and full correspondence address Dr. C. Ramprasadh
Senior Assistant Professor
School of Mechanical Engineering
SASTRA Deemed University,
Tirumalaisamudram,
Thanjavur – 613401
2. Email(s) and contact number(s) [email protected]
9489550188
3. Institution SASTRA Deemed University,
Tirumalaisamudram,
Thanjavur – 613401
4. Date of Birth 30.06.1979

5. Gender (M/F/T) M

6. Category Gen/SC/ST/OBC General

7. Whether differently abled (Yes/No) No

8. Academic Qualification (Undergraduate Onwards)

S.No. Degree Year Subject University/Institution % of marks

1. B.E 2001 Mechanical Bharathidasan University 68.98
2. M.Tech 2004 Mechatronics Vellore Institute of Technology 88.5
3. PhD 2012 Aerospace IIT Bombay 7.9 (CPI)

9. PhD thesis title, Guide’s Name, Institute/Organization/University, Year of Award.

Thesis title Estimation of Aerodynamic Angles in a Mini

Aerial Vehicle using Sensor Fusion
Research Supervisor Prof. Hemendra Arya
Institute INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, BOMBAY
Year of Award 2012

10. Work experience (in chronological order).

Name of
S.No. Designation the From To Pay Scale
Institute
1. Lecturer SASTRA 23.06.2004 18.07.2007 8250-250-10000
2. Assistant Professor III SASTRA 02.01.2012 31.03.2013 23800-700-28200
3. Senior Assistant SASTRA 01.04.2013 Present 28300-800-39500
Professor
11. Areas of Interests
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Flight Dynamics and Control, Sensor Fusion and State Estimation,
Mathematical Modeling, Stochastic Processes and Random Signals.
12. Funded Research Projects
Intramural Research Grant:

Project Title: Design, Fabrication and Flying of Multi-rotor UAV for

Aerial Surveillance and Crowd Monitoring
Funded By: SASTRA University, TRR Research Funds
Duration: One Year (January 2016 to January 2017)
Cost: Rs. 4.85 Lakhs
Project Status: Completed

Extramural Research Grant:

Project Title: “Validation of Alpha Estimators in Mini Aerial Vehicles”

Funded by: Aeronautical Research and Development Board
Panel: SIGMA (Special Interest Group in Micro Aerial Vehicles)
Duration: 2 Years (from 2016-01 to 2018-01)
Grant Number: ARDB/01/2021791/M/I
Cost:Rs. 13.85 Lakhs
Project Status: Ongoing
Practical Applications of the Recent Research:
The current work focuses on the validation of four different schemes of estimation of Angle of
Attack (AOA) that are developed for Mini-UAVs. All the necessary measurements for
estimation of AOA are recorded along with the actual measurements (of AOA). Using the post
flight data in a MATLAB program, the estimation algorithms are validated by comparing the
estimated and the actual measurements of alpha and the performances of the estimation
schemes are evaluated.

13. Publications (List of papers published in SCI / SCI-E Journals, in year wise descending order).

Name of
S.No. Author(s) Title Volume Page Year
Journal
Raja Vardhan Design of a
proportional-integral International
K Reddy, SM Volume:
controller to track Journal of
1. Sambasivam, S 9 15-24 2017
pitch angle in a mini Micro Air
Prem, C issue: 1
aerial vehicle Vehicles
Ramprasadh
A CFD Study on
Leading Edge Wing
International
Surface
Journal of
C. Ramprasadh, Modification of a Volume: 361-
2. Micro Air 2015
V. Devanandh Low Aspect Ratio 7 issue: 3 373
Vehicles
Flying wing to
Improve Lift
Performance.
3. C.Ramprasadh, Multistage-Fusion Journal of Volume 93-100 2012
 Hemendra Arya Algorithm for Aircraft 49
Estimation of issue: 1
Aerodynamic
Angles in Mini
Aerial Vehicle

A Monte Carlo
Analysis of Sensor
International
Fusion Algorithm
C.Ramprasadh, Journal of Volume:
4. for the Estimation of 35-47 2011
Hemendra Arya Micro Air 3 issue: 1
Aerodynamic
Vehicles
Angles in a Mini
Aerial Vehicle

14. Publications (List of papers published in National / International Conferences, in year wise
descending order).
Refereed Conference Publications
C.Ramprasadh, Hemendra Arya, “Estimation of Aerodynamic Angles in a Mini Aerial
Vehicle” 5th International Conference on Theoretical, Applied, Computational and
5.
Experimental Mechanics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. 26th – 29th Dec -
2010.
C.Ramprasadh, Hemendra Arya, “A Multi-Stage Fusion Algorithm for the Estimation
6. of Aerodynamic Angles in a Mini Aerial Vehicle”, 49th Aerospace Sciences Meeting,
Orlando, USA. 4th – 7th Jan - 2011.
C.Ramprasadh, Hemendra Arya, “Estimation of Aerodynamic Angles in a Mini Aerial
7. Vehicle under Turbulent Atmosphere” AIAA Atmospheric flight Mechanics
Conference, Portland, USA. 8th – 11th Aug - 2011.
L.Sankaralingam, S.Prem. C. Ramprasadh, "Validation of Complimentary Filter
Algorithm for Angle of Attack Estimation using wind tunnel Measurements", National
8. Conference on Wind Tunnel Testing (NCWT-05), Jointly organized by Anna
University, Madras Institute of Technology Campus and CSIR-SERC, Chennai. 16th –
17th Mar - 2017.
L. Sankaralingam, S. Prem, C. Ramprasadh, Ravi Doddamani, Parag Deshpande, Suraj
9. CS “A Simple Method for Estimation of Angle of Attack” ACODS 2018 Hyderabad
18th – 22nd Feb 2018.
15. Factor of Publications

Cumulative Impact Factor of Publications = 2.318

16. PROFESSIONAL / RESEARCH REFERENCES

1. Dr. Hemendra Arya
Associate Professor
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Powai, Mumbai - 400 076
INDIA
Tele: +91-22-25767118; Mobile: +91-9820347725
E-mail: [email protected]
2. Dr. S. Swaminathan
Dean, Sponsored Research
SASTRA Deemed University
Tirumalaisamudram, Thanjavur – 613401
Tamilnadu
INDIA
Tele: +91-4362-264101; Mobile: +91-9894999747
E-mail: [email protected]

***
 C - Conflict of Interest

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

POLICY ON CONFLICT OF INTEREST

FOR REVIEWER & COMMITTEE MEMBER or APPLICANT or DST OFFICER

ASSOCIATED/ DEALING WITH THE SCHEME/ PROGRAM OF DST

Issues of Conflicts of Interest and ethics in scientific research and research management have
assumed greater prominence, given the larger share of Government funding in the country's R &
D scenario. The following policy pertaining to general aspects of Conflicts of Interest and code
of ethics, are objective measures that is intended to protect the integrity of the decision making
processes and minimize biasness. The policy aims to sustain transparency, increase
accountability in funding mechanisms and provide assurance to the general public that processes
followed in award of grants are fair and non-discriminatory. The Policy aims to avoid all forms
of bias by following a system that is fair, transparent and free from all influence/ unprejudiced
dealings, prior to, during and subsequent to the currency of the programme to be entered into
with a view to enable public to abstain from bribing or any corrupt practice in order to secure the
award by providing assurance to them that their competitors will also refrain from bribing and
other corrupt practice and the decision makers will commit to prevent corruption, in any form, by
their officials by following transparent procedures. This will also ensure a global acceptance of
the decision making process adopted by DST.

Definition of Conflict of Interest:

Conflict of Interest means "any interest which could significantly prejudice an individual's
objectivity in the decision making process, thereby creating an unfair competitive advantage for
the individual or to the organization which he/she represents". The Conflict of Interest also
encompasses situations where an individual, in contravention to the accepted norms and ethics,
could exploit his/her obligatory duties for personal benefits.

1. Coverage of the Policy:

a) The provisions of the policy shall be followed by persons applying for and receiving
funding from DST, Reviewers of the proposal and Members of Expert Committees and
Programme Advisory Committees. The provisions of the policy will also be applicable on
all individuals including Officers of DST connected directly or indirectly or through
intermediaries and Committees involved in evaluation of proposals and subsequent
decision making process.
b) This policy aims to minimize aspects that may constitute actual Conflict of Interests,
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although not limited to, Conflict of interests that are Financial (gains from the outcomes
of the proposal or award), Personal (association of relative / Family members) and
 Institutional (Colleagues, Collaborators, Employer, persons associated in a professional
career of an individual such as Ph.D. supervisor etc.)
2. Specifications as to what constitutes Conflict of Interest.

Any of the following specifications (non-exhaustive list) imply Conflict of Interest if,

(i) Due to any reason by which the Reviewer/Committee Member cannot deliver fair
and objective assessment of the proposal.
(ii) The applicant is a directly relative# or family member (including but not limited
to spouse, child, sibling, parent) or personal friend of the individual involved in
the decision making process or alternatively, if any relative of an Officer directly
involved in any decision making process / has influenced interest/ stake in the
applicant’s form etc.
(iii) The applicant for the grant/award is an employee or employer of an individual
involved in the process as a Reviewer or Committee Member; or if the applicant
to the grant/award has had an employer-employee relationship in the past three
years with that individual.
(iv) The applicant to the grant/award belongs to the same Department as that of the
Reviewer/Committee Member.
(v) The Reviewer/Committee Member is a Head of an Organization from where the
applicant is employed.
(vi) The Reviewer /Committee Member is or was, associated in the professional career
of the applicant (such as Ph.D. supervisor, Mentor, present Collaborator etc.)
(vii) The Reviewer/Committee Member is involved in the preparation of the research
proposal submitted by the applicant.
(viii) The applicant has joint research publications with the Reviewer/Committee
Member in the last three years.
(ix) The applicant/Reviewer/Committee Member, in contravention to the accepted
norms and ethics followed in scientific research has a direct/indirect financial
interest in the outcomes of the proposal.
(x) The Reviewer/Committee Member stands to gain personally should the submitted
proposal be accepted or rejected.
# The Term “Relative” for this purpose would be referred in section 6 of Companies Act,
1956.

3. Regulation:

The DST shall strive to avoid conflict of interest in its funding mechanisms to the maximum
extent possible. Self-regulatory mode is however recommended for stake holders involved in
scientific research and research management, on issues pertaining to Conflict of Interest and
scientific ethics. Any disclosure pertaining to the same must be made voluntarily by the
applicant/Reviewer/Committee Member.
4. Confidentiality:

The Reviewers and the Members of the Committee shall safeguard the confidentiality of all
discussions and decisions taken during the process and shall refrain from discussing the same
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for doing so.
5. Code of Conduct

5.1 To be followed by Reviewers/Committee Members:

(a) All reviewers shall submit a conflict of interest statement, declaring the presence or
absence of any form of conflict of interest.
(b) The reviewers shall refrain from evaluating the proposals if the conflict of interest is
established or if it is apparent.
(c) All discussions and decisions pertaining to conflict of interest shall be recorded in the
minutes of the meeting.
(d) The Chairman of the Committee shall decide on all aspects pertaining to conflict of
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(e) The Chairman of the Committee shall request that all members disclose if they have any
conflict of interest in the items of the agenda scheduled for discussion.
(f) The Committee Members shall refrain from participating in the decision making process
and leave the room with respect to the specific item where the conflict of interest is
established or is apparent.
(g) If the Chairman himself/herself has conflict of interest, the Committee may choose a
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(h) It is expected that a Committee member including the Chair-person will not seek funding
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proposals will be evaluated separately outside the Committee in which he/she is a
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5.2 To be followed by the Applicant to the Grant/Award:

(a) The applicant must refrain from suggesting referees with potential Conflict of Interest
that may arise due to the factors mentioned in the specifications described above in Point
No. 2.
(b) The applicant may mention the names of individuals to whom the submitted proposal
should not be sent for refereeing, clearly indicating the reasons for the same.

5.3 To be followed by the Officers dealing with Programs in DST:

While it is mandatory for the program officers to maintain confidentiality as detailed in point
no. 6 above, they should declare, in advance, if they are dealing with grant applications of a
relative or family member (including but not limited to spouse, child, sibling, parent) or
thesis/ post-doctoral mentor or stands to benefit financially if the applicant proposal is
funded. In such cases, DST will allot the grant applications to the other program officer.