An efficient approach to design robust controllers for active flutter suppression

Active flutter suppression is critical for the development of more efficient aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles. Due to structural and aerodynamic uncertainties, as well as the potentially catastrophic consequences of flutter, investigating new methods for robust aeroelastic control is a relevant topic. This study introduces a strategy for designing controllers for active flutter suppression by employing a parametric aeroelastic model, which is transformed into a polytopic representation. This approach ensures stability across a range of airflow speeds, expanding the flight envelope and addressing uncertainties in both the aerodynamic and actuation performance. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, a two-degree-of-freedom typical aeroelastic section is analyzed both numerically and experimentally. The results show that the designed controllers provide robust flutter suppression and demonstrate improved stability, even in the presence of uncertainties in the actuation system.