Experimental Model Based Feedback Control for Flutter Suppression and Gust Load Alleviation

ZONA Technology, Inc. (ZONA) proposes an R\&D effort to develop an Experimental Model Based Feedback Control (EMBFC) Framework for the flutter suppression and gust load alleviation (GLA). The resilience of the flight control law in the presence of aeroelastic/aeroservoelastic (AE/ASE) interactions can therefore be increased by the suppression of the aircraft's structural vibrations induced by the flutter mechanism and/or gust perturbation. Currently aircrafts with non-adaptive control laws usually include roll-off or notch filters to avoid AE/ASE interactions. However, if changes in the aircraft configuration are significant, the frequencies of the flexible modes of the aircraft may be shifted and the notch filters could become totally ineffective. With the proposed EMBFC framework, the flexible dynamics can be consistently estimated via system identification algorithms and its undesirable effects is suppressed through a robust feedback control law, while the whole systems stability is being maintained. The proposed feedback control technique will be demonstrated with SuperSonic SemiSpan Transport S4T wind tunnel model for flutter suppression and gust load alleviation.

EMBFC Framework can be firstly used by military and commercial aircraft manufacturers for new aircraft designs, modifications and upgrades. Secondly, Secondly, it will bring a variety of applications in other industries, such as: (1) Suppression and/or attenuation of vibrations in large satellite structures; (2) Cabin noise reduction for the next generation executive transport aircraft, such as in the Marcel Dassualt's Falcon 7X; (3) Vibration suppression across the automotive industry.

EMBFC Framework will assist NASA in its goal to achieve an integrated flight control system resilient to failures, damage, and upset conditions due to unforeseen AE/ASE interactions during the development of the aircraft's original control law.