The capability to harness or alleviate unsteady aerodynamic forces and
moments could dramatically enhance aircraft control during severe man
euvers as well as significantly extend the life span of both helicopte
r and wind turbine blade/rotor assemblies, Using recursive neural netw
orks, time-dependent models that predict unsteady boundary-layer devel
opment, separation, dynamic stall, and dynamic reattachment have been
developed, Further, these models of the flow-wing interactions can be
used as the foundation upon which to develop adaptive control systems.
The present work describes these capabilities for three-dimensional u
nsteady surface pressures and two-dimensional unsteady shear-stress me
asurements obtained for harmonic and constant-rate pitch motions. In t
he near future, it is predicted that such techniques will provide a vi
able approach for the development of six degree-of-freedom motion simu
lators for severe vehicle maneuvers as well as a foundation for the ac
tive control of unsteady fluid mechanics in a variety of systems.