Active Flutter Suppression Control Design for Wind-Tunnel Testing using μ-Synthesis

An active flutter suppression (AFS) control law for the Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation (IAWTM) sub-project designed to enable wind-tunnel testing at dynamic pressures and Mach numbers beyond the flutter boundary in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) at the NASA Langley Research Center is presented. The test article is a flexible half-span model of a transport airplane based on the Common Research Model, with the aspect ratio of the wing increased to 13.5. The AFS control law is designed using μ-synthesis to be robust against a combination of aeroelastic excitation and structural model uncertainty. The proposed AFS controller is evaluated analytically and tested in a simulation of the system with the controller in the loop, with results demonstrating that the controller is able to extend the flutter boundary to higher Mach numbers and dynamic pressures than required for experimental testing as part of the IAWTM sub-project.