Limit Cycle Oscillation Control and Suppression

The prediction and characterization of the Limit Cycle Oscillation (LCO) behaviour of nonlinear aeroelastic systems has become of great interest recently. However, much of this work has concentrated on determining the existence of LCOs. This paper concentrates on LCO stability. By considering the energy present in di®erent limit cycles, and also using the Harmonic Balance Method, it is shown how the stability of limit cycles can be determined. The analysis is then extended to show that limit cycles can be controlled, or even suppressed,
by the use of suitable excitation signals. A basic control scheme is developed to achieve this, and is demonstrated on a simple simulated nonlinear aeroelastic system.