Flexible Wing Co-Design Through MDA and Active Control for Load Alleviation

Within the context of an ongoing pursuit for more efficient and sustainable aviation, this paper presents a co-design framework for aircraft with high-aspect-ratio flexible wings. The proposed methodology employs a nested optimisation structure, integrating overall aircraft design, aeroelastic modelling, and mixed structured H infinity modal synthesis for load alleviation into a multidisciplinary design analysis. The integrated load alleviation system has proven highly effective, achieving a considerable reduction in critical dynamic loads when subjected to atmospheric turbulence. By directly mitigating peak loads, significant reductions in both wing and overall aircraft mass are achieved, resulting in a significantly improved aircraft design.