Data-Driven Flutter Suppression via HODMD, DMDcand Constrained MPC

Abstract

This work presents an interpretable data-to-control framework for actuator-constrained flutter suppression by combining higher-order dynamic mode decomposition (HODMD), dynamic mode decomposition with control (DMDc), and model predictive control (MPC). The primary case is a pitch-plunge typical section with a trailing-edge flap and rational unsteady aerodynamics. HODMD identifies the dominant frequency and growth rate in subcritical, near-critical, and post-critical regimes from four measured structural channels. With 2% RMS sensor noise, the near-critical growth-rate error is 1.8 x 10^-3 s^-1, substantially lower than with standard DMD without delay embedding. A five-state real reduced-order model is formed from the HODMD subspace, and its flap-input matrix is estimated from a small-amplitude PRBS record using DMDc. For an independent chirp input, the normalized error over all channels is 2.4 x 10^-3. The constrained MPC stabilizes the true post-critical plant for an initial pitch perturbation of 8 degrees with a flap limit of 1 degree, whereas saturated LQR designed from the same model reaches the prescribed validity limit. Three supporting studies assess transferability. SU2 simulations show HODMD frequency recovery consistent with the available spectral resolution; OpenFOAM dynamic-mesh calculations show nearly linear articulated-flap moment authority from 2 to 8 degrees with frequency-dependent gain; and a two-way SU2 Python-FSI case demonstrates bounded disturbance rejection using a proportional-derivative baseline. These studies support modal identification, actuator authority, and closed-loop feasibility, but are not presented as CFD-level MPC validation. The framework provides a reproducible route from early-time measurements to constrained aeroelastic control.