Robust control of gust-induced vibration of highly flexible aircraft

This paper mainly addresses the gust suppression and alleviation of highly flexible aircraft using the model predictive controller (MPC) based on linear parameter-varying (LPV) models. The dynamic behavior of highly flexible aircraft is modeled by a coupled nonlinear aeroelastic and flight dynamic formulation. Conventional trailing-edge flaps along the main wings and tails are deployed to provide the required loads for the wing vibration control and/or longitudinal flight attitude control of the slender vehicle. The coupled dynamic equations are performed with linearization and model reduction about a series of nonlinear equilibria to derive reduced-order LPV models. This work considers two quantities as the scheduling parameters in building the LPV models: the gust-induced angle of attack and the modal magnitude of wing deformation. With the reduced-order LPV model, MPC is designed to minimize the wing vibration and rigid-body motions excited by the time-domain Dryden gust perturbation. The proposed LPV modeling is capable of describing large wing deformations, and the LPV-MPC innovatively previews the scheduling parameter and gust disturbance in the prediction horizon. The closed-loop flight responses of a highly flexible aircraft with gust disturbance are presented in the numerical studies, which demonstrate the effectiveness of controlling coupled vibrations and rigid-body dynamics of such slender vehicles.

Automated summary

This paper addresses the gust suppression and alleviation of highly flexible aircraft using a model predictive controller (MPC) based on linear parameter-varying (LPV) models. The study models the dynamic behavior of the aircraft and uses conventional flaps to control wing vibration and flight attitude. LPV models are derived through linearization and model reduction, and MPC is designed to minimize wing vibration and rigid-body motions induced by gust perturbation.