The application of active control technology to compensating flutter, a flight safety issue.

What is it about?

Flutter is one of the most representative topics of aero-elasticity. From the flight safety standpoint, the emergence and further development of flutter represents a risk, that must be managed through appropriate management, like mitigation or avoidance. The study is based on an aeroservoelastic model consisting in a constant-chord wing model mounted on a moving platform and elastically suspended both in plunge and pitch motion in order to thus reproduce the conditions of a typical deformable aircraft wing. The system parameters were chosen such that the model would be capable of exhibiting sustained self-inducted oscillations - flutter, at relatively moderate air speed and reduced frequencies. In purpose to control this model, a simple electrically driven trailing-edge flap was added over the entire wing span. For the specific problem of the active flutter suppression, the flap should be included in a command line through a feedback connection.

Featured Image

Photo by Ross Parmly on Unsplash

Photo by Ross Parmly on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The active control of nonlinear aeroelastic instability, such as active flutter suppression, is becoming a promising and attractive technology, because it can simultaneously reduce the weight and increase the performances of the modern aircraft. Active suppression of aeroelastic instabilities, such as flutter, divergence, and control reversal, will lead to improved performances.