Design and Testing of a Vibrating Test Object for Investigating Fluid-Structure Interaction

Abstract

In this study the vibration properties of a deforming test object are presented. The test object is bump shaped and is integrated into the wall of a transonic wind tunnel. The purpose for using such a test object is to study, in a generic manner, the unsteady aerodynamic phenomena occurring due to the presence of a vibrating structure in the flow. The setup is part of an ongoing study to address the phenomena of fluid-structure interaction and shock-boundary layer interaction. The design objective for the test object is to assimilate a 1F vibration mode at a given section of a typical compressor blade. Finite element (FE) analyses have been used to predict the frequency response of the test object prior to manufacturing. The design objectives have been verified experimentally by time-resolved laser measurements. It has been found that the FE predictions are in good agreement with experimental data. Furthermore it has been shown that the present test object allows for the achievement of the targeted vibration properties up to a frequency of 250Hz, corresponding to a reduced frequency above 0.8.