Target tracking strategies for a nonlinear, flexible aircraft-inspired model

Aeroelastic wing micro aerial vehicle (MAV) concepts are being explored for military and civilian applications. However, on the whole, the issues of control of MAVs are largely unexplored. The authors seek to employ distributed parameter modeling and control theory in an effort to achieve agile flight potential of flexible, morphable wing MAV airframes. In this work, two Euler-Bernoulli beams connected to a rigid mass are used to model the heave dynamics of an aeroelastic wing MAV. A nonlinear aerodynamic lift force acts upon this multiple component structure. The focus of this paper is an effort to employ tools from linear distributed parameter control theory to gain insight into feasibly obtained wing shape, as a bridge to examining optimal wing morphing trajectories for achieving agile flight.