Optimal Rolling Maneuvers with Very Flexible Wings
The single-shooting method is used to identify optimal maneuvers in the lateral dynamics of a partially supported flexible wing. The aim is to identify efficient actuation strategies from a fully coupled nonlinear aeroelastic/flight-dynamics model, which accounts for potentially large wing deflections, to improve vehicle maneuverability. The flexible vehicle dynamics is described using a geometrically exact composite beam on a body-attached frame and an unsteady vortex lattice with arbitrary kinematics of the lifting surfaces. Rolling maneuvers are obtained through optimal control. A flight-dynamics model based on elasticized stability derivatives is used as a reference, and it is shown to capture the relevant dynamics either under slow actuation or for stiff wings. Embedding the full aeroelastic description into the optimization framework expands the space of achievable maneuvers, such as quick wing response with low structural vibrations or large lateral forces with minimal lift losses. It is also seen ...