A robust-optimal design of multimodal shunt circuit for subsonic flutter control and energy harvesting

Abstract

Aerospace structures are becoming increasingly lightweight and flexible. At the same time, they are to operate at higher airspeeds, highlighting the need to control potentially dangerous aeroelastic phenomena. Numerous studies have reported the development of control techniques applied to composite structures embedded with smart materials. However, the application of these techniques combining aeroelastic control and energy harvesting features is not evident. The intended contribution here is the proposal of a robust-optimal device for passively control subsonic flutter and vibration in aeronautic composite panels through energy harvesting. This study performs a numerical analysis using a piezoceramic multimodal shunted circuit of parallel topology, which is embedded in the base composite structure. Finite element modeling combined with First-order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) describes the mechanical degrees of freedom, while the Doublet Lattice Method (DLM) represents the aerodynamic load. In turn, discrete layer theory depicts the electric potential. The circuit parameters were optimized to maximize the flutter boundary and the harvested power at the flutter point. The evaluation of the robustness of the optimized solutions demonstrates the practical interest of the presented methodology. The numerical simulations demonstrate the main capabilities of the proposed methodology.