Ashish Manjhi: "Finite-State Representation of a Free-Vortex Wake Model using Analytical Linearization"

Speaker Bio: Ashish Manjhi completed his B.Tech and M.Tech degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at Penn State under the supervision of Dr. Joseph Horn. His research focuses on rotor–wake modeling for real-time flight simulation. He has developed and implemented an analytical linearization approach to extract linear wake models from free-vortex wake analyses, enabling faster linear model generation and accurate prediction of rotor aerodynamic responses—key to enhancing rotorcraft simulation fidelity.

Abstract: In rotorcraft, the complex interactions between a rotor and its wake affect the performance, stability, and control. Capturing the unsteady aerodynamic effects accurately while maintaining computational efficiency remains a key challenge in rotorcraft modeling and simulation. The Free-Vortex Wake (FVW) model offers a mid-fidelity framework that inherently represents the unsteady wake dynamics with higher physical accuracy than conventional momentum-theory approaches. By re-formulating the FVW model in a state-space representation, it is possible to extract linearized wake models that are useful for dynamic analysis and control law design. Furthermore, these linearized wake models can be transformed into low-order finite-state inflow models through model-order reduction, this facilitates real-time mapping and flight simulation within practical computational limits.  Key enablers in developing the finite-state representation include analytical linearization methods and Balance Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (BPOD).