Aeroelastic Load Control Through the Use of a Mechanically Driven Flap

Abstract

Aeroelastic control through the use of flap actuated through novel mechanical network is demonstrated in this study. The aeroelastic model couples a composite beam description of the structural dynamics to the unsteady vortex-lattice method for the aerodynamics. Flap dynamics are introduced to the model for flap rotation to be controlled by the total torque (aerodynamic torque and control torque) applied on its hinge. In this study, a passive mechanical controller is proposed to sense the relative angular velocity of the flap to generate the control torque. The mechanical controller can be realized by passive components including springs, dampers and inerters. The parameters of the mechanical controller are optimized by $H$∞ and $H_{2}$ routines for robustness and efficacy on load reduction, respectively. It is shown that both mechanical controllers exhibit marked reductions in bending moment and tip deflection in the presence of external disturbances.