Trim Analysis and Structured H-Infinity Control of Wing-Docked Multibody Aircraft

Abstract

A wing-docked multibody aircraft is a novel configuration being explored as a balanced solution between efficiency and structural resilience for very long-endurance aviation. The presence of wingtip hinges complicates the dynamics and control of this class of aircraft but has thus far only been analyzed in specific cases. In this work, we make a comprehensive exploration of parameter space of the multibody trim problem and stability and demonstrate the treatment of the control problem using the robust H∞ synthesis technique. We propose a simplified simulation approach to the static trim analysis and demonstrate key observations relating to the configurations and open-loop dynamic stability of multibody aircraft in general. An interpolated parameter-scheduling model using the hinge angle as a scheduling parameter is established, based on which the structured multimodel H∞ synthesis method is employed to synthesize the robust flight controllers. Simulation results show that the designed controllers are capable of configuration control within the range of possible trim solutions and have also achieved good control effectiveness in path following and disturbance rejection. The proposed trim analysis and control techniques serve to provide a systematic benchmark study on wing-docked multibody aircraft dynamics, which is valuable to the development of this research area.