The simulation of airfoil flutter characteristic based on active control strategy

The aerodynamic flutter of aerospace vehicle Rudder-airfoil structure is a catastrophic dynamic behavior. In the aeroelastic dynamic model that is on the basis of doublet lattice theory, aerodynamic load can be expressed as a closedloop control force that is a kind of state feedback based on structural dynamic response. In fact, the aerodynamic forces received by each node are derived from the complex coefficient proportional feedback of the displacement response and velocity response of all nodes. The control law of feedback is dependent on the geometric parameters, material parameters, dynamic characteristics of the structure, flight altitude, air density and inflow velocity etc. It usually needs to be identified and validated by actual flight or wind tunnel testing. Under laboratory conditions, with the premise of equivalent modal characteristic in system dynamic responds, a strategy is put forward that is based on active control in order to track the eigenvalues of self-excited flutter in Rudder-airfoil structure under aerodynamic load. The process of solving the non-self-adjoint dynamic differential equation and its characteristic equation of the equivalent system is established and discussed. The comparison between the computed results and those results from the common software shows good consistency. Through optimization search, the optimal feedback point for displacement and velocity, the optimal actuation point, and the optimal feedback-gain factor can be obtained respectively. The fitting of the wind velocity-displacement gain curve and wind velocity-velocity gain curve can help to realize the real contribution control of the aerodynamic force of the equivalent system. Simulation example shows that the first two modal are the main modal of flutter and higher order modals do not participate in flutter, so the active control strategy focuses on the main modal of flutter. The result also shows that the predicted experimental process does not need identification or reconstruction of the unsteady aerodynamic force in time domain. Ground simulation experiment can be achieved without any other meddles. The active control reaches satisfied effects, ensure the variation characteristics of eigenvalue, achieves preliminary eigenvalue tracking of self-excited flutter, and provides a basement to further promote the active control simulation experiment and flutter parameter identification. © 2019, Chinese Journal of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Press. All right reserved.