Optimal rolling manoeuvres with very flexible wings

Abstract

The single-shooting method is used to identify optimal manoeuvres in the lateral dyna- mics of partially-supported flexible wings. Efficient actuation strategies are sought when large wing deflections substantially modify the geometry of the vehicle during the man- oeuvre. For that purpose, geometrical nonlinear models are first built using composite beams and an unsteady vortex lattice, and the optimal control problem is then solved via a gradient-based algorithm. A flight-dynamics model based on elastified stability derivatives is shown to capture the relevant dynamics either under slow actuation or for stiff wings and it is used as a reference. Embedding the full aeroelastic description into the optimisation framework expands the space of achievable manoeuvres, such as quick wing response with low structural vibrations or large lateral forces with minimal lift losses.