Nonlinear aeroservoelastic control design and validation

This paper presents the numerical investigation and experimental validation of a feedback linearization control technique for suppression of limit cycle oscillations in an aeroelastic model characterized by two degrees of freedom, the pitch and the plunge, with the latter featuring a polynomial nonlinearity. The Euler-Lagrange structural model has been updated via a grey-box identification approach based on the frequency response functions of the system at zero speed and the designed control gains have been tested for speeds below and above the one used for control design. The controller proved to be able to suppress the subcritical limit cycle oscillations at all the tested speeds.