Airfoil Roll Control by Bang-Bang Optimal Control Method with Plasma Actuators

TL;DR

This paper introduces a bang-bang optimal control method for plasma actuators to enhance aircraft roll control, demonstrating its effectiveness through wind tunnel experiments and flight simulations despite limited plasma authority.

Contribution

It integrates flight and active flow control using bang-bang control for plasma actuators, addressing practical limitations and demonstrating potential for aircraft maneuvering.

Findings

Flow control effects are limited and prominent near stall angles.

Small plasma-induced roll moments can achieve desired maneuvers.

Disturbances from plasma effects can be effectively rejected.

Abstract

The bang-bang optimal control method was proposed for glow discharge plasma actuators, taking account of practical issues, such as limited actuation states with instantaneously varied aerodynamic control performance. Hence, the main contribution of this Note is to integrate flight control with active flow control in particular for plasma actuators. Flow control effects were examined in wind tunnel experiments, which show that the plasma authority for flow control is limited. Flow control effects are only obvious at pitch angles near stall. However, flight control simulations suggest that even those small plasma-induced roll moments can satisfactorily fulfill the maneuver tasks and meet flight quality specifications. In addition, the disturbance from volatile plasma-induced roll moments can be rejected. Hence, the proposed bang-bang control method is a promising candidate of control design methodology for plasma actuators.