Active Flutter Control of a Flexible Wing Arircraft

Abstract

Aeroelastic flutter is an unstable oscillation, which is the result of an adverse interaction of the structure and the aerodynamics of aircraft. Since this phenomenon leads to structural failure, it must be avoided. Presently, this is achieved passively, by the increase of structural stiffness of the airframe. At the same time, the use of lighter and therefore more flexible materials for the construction of the wings is desirable for fuel efficiency. In recent years, this motivated research aiming to develop active control solutions to suppress flutter. Joining to this effort, two control design processes are presented that are able to expand the flight envelope of an unmanned flexible wing aircraft. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed concepts.