Independent Modal Control for Non-Self-Adjoint Problems.

Abstract

This study describes a general method of using the independent-modal-control concept in aeroservoelastic systems. Geometric modal filters, developed to individually control free-vibration modes using adptive materials, proved to be very efficient in preventing spillover-related effects. Very robust controllers may be synthesized due to the possibility of realizing a continuous and co-locasted distribution of the sensors and actuators over the structure. In the present investigation, the procedure is extended to non-self-adjoint problems, where the presence of non-conservative forces impairs the decoupling of the equations of motion by classical means, using the orthogonality of natural modes. An example developed for a composite wing demonstrates the validity of the proposed scheme.