Fundamental aeroservoelastic study combining unsteady computational fluid mechanics with adaptive control

A computational two-dimensional aeroservoelastic study in the time domain is described. The model, which is based on exact inviscid aerodynamics, captures the large amplitude motions and the associated strong shock dynamics in the transonic regime. The aeroservoelastic system consists of a two-degree-of-freedom airfoil with a trailing-edge control surface. By the use of first-order actuator dynamics, a digital adaptive controller is applied to provide active flutter suppression, Comparisons between time responses of the open-loop and closed-loop systems show the ability of the trailing-edge control surface to suppress nonlinear transonic aeroelastic phenomena. A relation between actuator dynamics, sampling time step, and limits on the Bap deflection angle to guarantee the effectiveness of the adaptive controller is illustrated by the results.