In modern aircraft design, electro-mechanical actuators are increasingly being considered as an alternative to conventional, hydraulic actuation systems for flight control surfaces. While offering advantages in terms of weight reduction and increased efficiency, these actuators are also characterised by a higher sensitivity to nonlinear effects. Actuator models can strongly affect the effectiveness of control function such as gust load alleviation or flutter suppression, it is essential to correctly understand, model and identify nonlinearities in the actuator response, as well as to integrate nonlinear actuator models into aeroservoelastic models. This contribution explores the nonlinear effects of rate and acceleration limits in actuation systems, focusing on the actuator steady-state response to sinusoidal input and the effectiveness of closed-loop control systems. The saturation regimes determined by rate and acceleration limits are investigated, and analytical formulations are derived for the nonlinear actuator response and the boundaries of these regimes within the two-dimensional parameter space defined by non-dimensional rate and acceleration limits. Describing functions for each regime are determined in a closed form, establishing the relationship between actuator input and output in the frequency domain. Combined rate and acceleration limits are found to induce a low-pass filter behaviour in the actuator, with a -40 dB/decade roll-off, and can lead to nonsmooth phase dependence on frequency. The describing functions of combined rate and acceleration limits are applied to the analysis of an aeroservoelastic wing model developed for gust load alleviation (GLA) purposes. The effect of the actuator limits is investigated by evaluating the onset point of the nonlinear behaviour and an equivalent describing function for the entire actuator-plant-control feedback loop. The resulting findings illustrate that rate and acceleration limits can substantially affect the performance of closed-loop systems, leading to phenomena such as jump resonances when partial-to-full saturation regime transitions occur, and thereby constraining the effective frequency range of the GLA control systems. @en

This paper investigates the impact of introducing a switchable vortex generator (SVG), acting as a mini-tab, on the aerodynamic performance of a high-aspect-ratio wing's outer section in transonic regime. A parametric study is conducted employing computational fluid dynamics 2D simulations, focusing on the aerodynamic effects of changing the chord-wise position and height of the vane of a SVG located on the airfoil upper surface in both nominal cruise conditions and for varying angles of attack. The analysis reveals that mini-tabs can strongly affect the aerodynamic forces produced by the wing section, showing great potential for load alleviation and control, but also emphasising the need for a careful parameter selection to reduce undesirable effects such as the generation of shock waves. In cruise conditions, lift reduction increases with the vane height and has its maximum for chord-wise positions at 60% of the chord-length. However, SVGs located in the first half of the chord-length yield more robust performance for varying angle of attack, without sharp lift variations or generated shock waves, and a delayed stall onset. High SVGs (≥3% chord-length) can also lead to strong shock waves on the airfoil lower surface at small or negative angle of attack, while small SVGs (@en

One of the advanced Monte Carlo techniques employed to perform Bayesian model updating on the epistemic model parameter(s) is the Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler. A key characteristic in its sampling approach involves the use of "transitional" distributions to allow samples to converge iteratively from the prior to the final posterior. Hence, the selection of the transition step size becomes of critical importance. Currently, the selection criterion is such that the optimal transition step size is one that realizes a 100% Coefficient of Variation in the statistical weights of the samples in a given iteration. The work presented here considers an alternative selection criterion on the transition step size involving the use of the Effective Sample Size as a metric. The optimal step size considered in this work is one which achieves an effective sample size equal to half the total sample size. To provide a comparative study, the standard Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler, along with the modified Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler imbued with the alternative selection criterion, are implemented to infer the friction force and the natural frequency of a single-storey frame structure with a metal-to-metal contact, whose dynamics is described by a non-linear differential equation. From there, the sampling performance is compared on the basis of the evolution of the tempering parameter, and the standard error of the estimates. @en

Several on-line identification approaches have been proposed to identify parameters and evolution models of engineering systems and structures when sequential datasets are available via Bayesian inference. In this work, a robust and “tune-free” sampler is proposed to extend one of the sequential Monte Carlo implementations for the identification of time-varying parameters which can be assumed constant within each set of data collected but might vary across different sequences of datasets. The proposed approach involves the implementation of the affine-invariant Ensemble sampler in place of the Metropolis–Hastings sampler to update the samples. An adaptive-tuning algorithm is also proposed to automatically tune the step-size of the affine-invariant ensemble sampler which, in turn, controls the acceptance rate of the samples across iterations. Furthermore, a numerical investigation behind the existence of inherent lower and upper bounds on the acceptance rate, making the algorithm robust by design, is also conducted. The proposed method allows for the off-line and on-line identification of the most probable models under uncertainty. The proposed sampling strategy is first verified against the existing sequential Monte Carlo sampler in a numerical example. Then, it is validated by identifying the time-varying parameters and the most probable model of a nonlinear dynamical system using experimental data.@en

An approach for the identification of discontinuous and nonsmooth nonlinear forces, as those generated by frictional contacts, in mechanical systems that can be approximated by a single-degree-of-freedom model is presented. To handle the sharp variations and multiple motion regimes introduced by these nonlinearities in the dynamic response, the partially known physics-based model and noisy measurements of the system’s response to a known input force are combined within a switching Gaussian process latent force model (GPLFM). In this grey-box framework, multiple Gaussian processes are used to model the unknown nonlinear force across different motion regimes and a resetting model enables the generation of discontinuities. The states of the system, nonlinear force, and regime transitions are inferred by using filtering and smoothing techniques for switching linear dynamical systems. The proposed switching GPLFM is applied to a simulated dry friction oscillator and an experimental setup consisting of a single-storey frame with a brass-to-steel contact. Excellent results are obtained in terms of the identified nonlinear and discontinuous friction force for varying: (i) normal load amplitudes in the contact; (ii) measurement noise levels, and (iii) number of samples in the datasets. Moreover, the identified states, friction force, and sequence of motion regimes are used for evaluating: (1) uncertain system parameters; (2) the friction force–velocity relationship, and (3) the static friction force. The correct identification of the discontinuous nonlinear force and the quantification of any remaining uncertainty in its prediction enable the implementation of an accurate forward model able to predict the system’s response to different input forces.@en

This study aims at assessing the predictive performance of the Amontons–Coulomb law to reliably predict the cyclic response, inclusive of stick–slip, of a single degree of freedom system in contact with the ground through two versions (steady-state and rate-and-state) of a regularized Dieterich–Ruina law. The assessment is carried out by defining a cost function and a physics-based constraint that enable the identification of the corresponding optimal coefficients of the Amontons–Coulomb law through a multi-start constrained non-linear optimization. The comparative study starts with a sensitivity analysis, aimed at first identifying the most meaningful model parameters for the Dieterich–Ruina law. Subsequently, the cyclic dynamic responses provided by both friction laws are analysed for varying model parameters, and characteristic features are observed within the dynamic forcing–displacement graph and the friction force–velocity plot, that could be directly linked to one friction model or the other. The sensitivity analysis led to the definition of a cost function expressed in terms of the displacement and velocity response differences and a constraint based on the phase difference. The optimization study identified areas of the Dieterich–Ruina's parameter space for which the Amontons–Coulomb law can reliably be used to predict a cyclic stick–slip response. The relevance of these results with respect to problems of modelling and identification of friction are discussed.

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This paper aims at assessing the effect of dry friction on the dynamic behaviour of a damped mechanical system subject to harmonic forcing. Previous work on friction damped systems highlighted that not including other forms of damping in the dynamic analysis can lead to unrealistic results such as the presence of infinite resonances. In this contribution, an exact solution is derived for the continuous steady-state response of multi-degree-of-freedom systems with a contact between one of the masses and an external wall, using Coulomb’s law to model the friction force and a modal damping model to account for the system’s damping. Closed-form expressions are also derived for the amplitude and phase of the continuous responses, while stick–slip responses are investigated by using an ad-hoc numerical approach. In addition, analytical and numerical results are used for exploring the features and the motion regimes of the dynamic response, leading to the following conclusions: (i) system’s damping has a limited effect on low- and high-frequency behaviours, on the presence of invariant points and inversions across the transmissibility curves and can therefore be neglected, in non-resonant conditions, in the analysis of structures where dry friction is the main source of dissipation; (ii) when the damping of the system is accounted for in the mechanical models along with Coulomb damping, finite resonant peaks are also obtained in continuous sliding regime and their amplitude decreases linearly with the friction force generated in the contact.@en

This paper investigates the steady-state response of a harmonically excited multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) system with a Coulomb contact between: (1) a mass and a fixed wall; (2) two different masses; (3) a mass and an oscillating base. Although discrete MDOF models are commonly used at early design stages to analyse the dynamic performances of engineering structures, the current understanding of the friction damping effects on MDOF behaviour is still limited due to the absence of analytical solutions. In this contribution, closed-form expressions of the continuous time response, the displacement transmissibility and the phase angle of each mass of the system are derived and validated numerically for 2DOF and 5DOF systems. Moreover, the features of the analytical response are investigated, obtaining the following results: (i) the determination of the minimum amounts of friction for which the resonant peaks become finite and (ii) for which stick-slip motion can be observed at high frequencies; (iii) an equation for the evaluation of invariant points for the displacement transmissibilities; (iv) a better understanding of phenomena such as the inversions of the transmissibility curves and the onset of additional resonant peaks due to the permanent sticking of the mass in contact. All these results show that MDOF systems exhibit significantly different dynamic behaviours depending on whether the friction contact and the harmonic excitation are applied to the same or different masses.

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This paper proposes an approach for the determination of the analytical boundaries of continuous, stick-slip and no motion regimes for the steady-state response of a multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) system with a single Coulomb contact to harmonic excitation. While these boundaries have been previously investigated for single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems, they are mostly unexplored for MDOF systems. Closed-form expressions of the boundaries of motion regimes are derived and validated numerically for two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) systems. Different configurations are observed by changing the mass in contact and by connecting the rubbing wall to: (i) the ground, (ii) the base or (iii) the other mass. A procedure for extending these results to systems with more than 2DOFs is also proposed for (i)–(ii) and validated numerically in the case of a 5DOF system with a ground-fixed contact. The boundary between continuous and stick-slip regimes is obtained as an extension of Den Hartog’s formulation for SDOF systems with Coulomb damping (Trans Am Soc Mech Eng 53: 107–115, 1931). The boundary between motion and no motion regimes is derived with an ad hoc procedure, based on the comparison between the overall dynamic load and the friction force acting on the mass in contact. The boundaries are finally represented in a two-dimensional parameter space, showing that the shape and the extension of the regions associated with the three motion regimes can change significantly when different physical parameters and contact configurations are considered.

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This paper presents an experimental investigation of the dynamic behaviour of a single-degree-of-freedom (SDoF) system with a metal-to-metal contact under harmonic base or joined base-wall excitation. The experimental results are compared with those yielded by mathematical models based on a SDoF system with Coulomb damping. While previous experiments on friction-damped systems focused on the characterisation of the friction force, the proposed approach investigates the steady response of a SDoF system when different exciting frequencies and friction forces are applied. The experimental set-up consists of a single-storey building, where harmonic excitation is imposed on a base plate and a friction contact is achieved between a steel top plate and a brass disc. The experimental results are expressed in terms of displacement transmissibility, phase angle and top plate motion in the time and frequency domains. Both continuous and stick-slip motions are investigated. The main results achieved in this paper are: (1) the development of an experimental set-up capable of reproducing friction damping effects on a harmonically excited SDoF system; (2) the validation of the analytical model introduced by Marino et al. (Nonlinear Dyn, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11071-019-04983-x) and, particularly, the inversion of the transmissibility curves in the joined base-wall motion case; (3) the systematic observation of stick-slip phenomena and their validation with numerical results.

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This study investigates the displacement transmissibility of single-degree-of-freedom systems with a Coulomb friction contact between a mass and a fixed or oscillating wall. While forced vibration and base motion problems have been extensively investigated, little work has been conducted on the joined base-wall problem. Based on the work of Den Hartog (Trans Am Soc Mech Eng 53:107–115, 1930), analytical expressions of the displacement transmissibility are derived and validated numerically. The mass absolute motion was analysed in the joined base-wall motion case with a new technique, with results such as: (1) the development of a method for motion regime determination; (2) the existence of an inversion point in transmissibility curves, after which friction damping amplifies the mass response; (3) the gradual disappearing of the resonant peak when the ratio between friction and elastic forces is increased. Moreover, numerical analysis provides further insight into the frequency region where mass sticking occurs in the base motion problem.

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