Recent advance in nonlinear aeroelastic analysis and control of the aircraft

TLDR

Nonlinear aeroelastic systems exhibit various nonlinearities, and recent work focuses on new nonlinear models that capture experimentally observed relationships. This review surveys recent advances in aircraft nonlinear aeroelasticity and identifies future research directions such as morphing wings, energy harvesting, and flapping aircraft. The authors categorize nonlinear aeroelastic problems into three types—airfoil, wing, and full aircraft—while exploring new theoretical methods, flutter control techniques, structural modeling for high‑aspect‑ratio wings, and separate studies of HALE and fighter aircraft. The review summarizes the routes to chaos in two‑dimensional aeroelastic systems, presents aerodynamic modeling approaches for nonlinear high‑aspect‑ratio wings, and outlines remaining challenges in the field.

Abstract

A review on the recent advance in nonlinear aeroelasticity of the aircraft is presented in this paper. The nonlinear aeroelastic problems are divided into three types based on different research objects, namely the two dimensional airfoil, the wing, and the full aircraft. Different nonlinearities encountered in aeroelastic systems are discussed firstly, where the emphases is placed on new nonlinear model to describe tested nonlinear relationship. Research techniques, especially new theoretical methods and aeroelastic flutter control methods are investigated in detail. The route to chaos and the cause of chaotic motion of two-dimensional aeroelastic system are summarized. Various structural modeling methods for the high-aspect-ratio wing with geometric nonlinearity are discussed. Accordingly, aerodynamic modeling approaches have been developed for the aeroelastic modeling of nonlinear high-aspect-ratio wings. Nonlinear aeroelasticity about high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) and fight aircrafts are studied separately. Finally, conclusions and the challenges of the development in nonlinear aeroelasticity are concluded. Nonlinear aeroelastic problems of morphing wing, energy harvesting, and flapping aircrafts are proposed as new directions in the future.