Enhancing ASWING Flight Dynamics Simulations with Closed-Loop Control for Flexible Aircraft

Improving aircraft efficiency to reduce the environmental impact of aviation requires the development of lighter, more flexible structures. However, flexibility introduces complex dynamics that challenge traditional control and stability methods, particularly in the early design phases. This paper introduces WingLoop, a closed-loop control framework that enables the simulation of flexible aircraft under both linear and nonlinear control laws. Built around ASWING, a fast, nonlinear lifting-line code for flight dynamics, WingLoop integrates ASWING with Python, leveraging its rich libraries to enhance usability and flexibility. While ASWING natively supports only linear control laws, WingLoop extends its capabilities to nonlinear controllers, allowing for more advanced and realistic control strategies. The framework was validated by reproducing ASWING's native controller response with a 1:1 match. A test case based on a reference aircraft from the literature demonstrates WingLoop's ability to support modern control design, including LQR. This work represents a significant step toward the development of integrated tools for the preliminary design of efficient, flexible aircraft.