Nonlinear Aeroelastic Responses of an Airfoil with a Control Surface by Precise Integration Method

Abstract

This paper presents a highly accurate algorithm, based on precise integration method (PIM), to investigate the aeroelastic system of an airfoil with control surface. The nonlinear system is separated as linear sub-systems, which are solved by PIM stepwise. During each step, a predictor-corrector algorithm is proposed to detect switching points between sub-systems. Numerical examples show that, the presented algorithm is much more accurate and efficient than the widely-used Runge-Kutta method. Sometimes, the Runge-Kutta method even provides false results. With such high precision and efficiency, the presented algorithm has the potential to become a benchmark for comparison in solving piecewise-smooth dynamical systems.