Gain Scheduling In Receptance-Based Control Of Aeroelastic Systems

This research considers the development of gain-scheduling approaches in receptance-based control of aeroservoelastic systems. The Receptance-Method is extended so that the control gains are variable with respect to the freestream speed. This enables the system's poles to be placed at a set of reference speeds and not just a single speed. In the standard Receptance Method, input-output transfer function data can only be collected at speeds well below the open-loop flutter speed. This means that the flutter speed is often not pushed as high as is possible, within the physical constraints of the controller. This problem is circumvented through the development of an iteration technique, whereby the control gains are computed as a modification to an existing controller, which is active during collection of the receptances. The method is tested numerically on a reference pitch-plunge aeroelastic model. It is shown that the flutter speed can be successfully increased with such an approach and that the technique has scope for applications in large-scale aircraft.