Leading-Edge Flutter of Supercavitating Hydrofoils

Abstract

This paper presents the results of experiments and analysis of the phenomenon of leading-edge flutter which has been observed to occur for supercavitating hydrofoils. The experiments confirmed the existence of such a single-degree-of-freedom flutter involving chordwise bending and indicated that for long, natural (or vapor-filled) cavities the reduced flutter speed, UF/ωFc, was in the range 0.15 to 0.23. Secondary effects observed were the variation with the angle of attack (a minimum flutter speed occurred at 10 deg) and with a foil mass ratio. Shorter cavities typically yielded lower flutter speeds due to a complex interaction between the bubble collapse process occurring in the cavity closure region and the unsteady hydrodynamic load on the foil. Finally, a relatively simple theoretical analysis for supercavitating hydrofoils with elastic axes aft of midchord is presented. This linear analysis yields reduced flutter velocities somewhat lower than those observed.