Robust stabilization of an aero-elastic system

Abstract

A mathematical model, suitable for robust controller design, is derived for an aero-elastic system. The particular aero-elastic system studied is Theodorsen's problem, i.e., a thin airfoil with trailing-edge flap placed into a perfect two-dimensional unsteady flow, where stabilizing active control is a torque applied at the flap-hinge line. It is shown that the theoretical framework developed by the authors for the robust stabilization of a class of systems governed by singular integro-differential equations provides a proper setting for the control of this aero-elastic system.<>