Active and Passive Control for Acceleration Reduction of an Aeroelastic Typical Wing Section

Abstract

The main concern related to the flutter phenomenon is predicting and avoiding it. This paper describes the application of a flexural-torsional flutter testbed for acceleration reduction by applying active and passive model-based control. The model consists of the 2D typical section, with aerodynamic loads estimated by an unsteady time-domain formulation based on Wagner’s function. The active control architecture consists of a stability augmentation system with output feedback and gain scheduling via the linear-quadratic regulator theory and actuation by servomechanism. The passive control employs a shape-memory alloy to provide additional torsional stiffness. Experimental results show considerable reduction of oscillations at a relative low cost for both active and passive control strategies, and that the use of shape memory alloys in aeroelastic stability problems is promising.