Aeroelastic Investigations Research Articles

Influence of structural elasticity on the aerodynamic characteristics of the common research model with deflected control surfaces

Numerical aerodynamic and aeroelastic investigations are conducted for the Common Research Model (CRM) configuration with deployable aileron control surfaces and a trimmable horizontal stabilizer at cruise and off-cruise conditions. The numerical methodology which is implemented in the multi-disciplinary simulation environment SimServer is based on CFD and coupled CFD-CSM simulations. The DLR Tau Code is applied in order to solve the Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. The Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model with Edwards modification is used for the closure modeling of the three-dimensional RANS equations. A linear modal solver is utilized to calculate structural displacements and rotations of control surfaces are modeled by a Chimera approach. A grid independence study is conducted by using the rigid aerodynamic model of the CRM. The main focus of the analysis lies on the evaluation of the stationary CFD-CSM simulations addressing the influence of structural deformation on aileron effectiveness. Influences of various flow conditions and different fuel tank filling levels on the resulting local and global aerodynamic properties of the CRM are investigated. The reduction of aileron effectiveness as well as the difference in horizontal trim deflection angle if structural elastic effects are considered is investigated for the considered Mach number range and aircraft mass configurations.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of a Turbine Vane Frame with Splitters at Different Operating Points

A turbine vane frame is a special type of intermediate turbine duct, and is one option to improve the efficiency and reduce the length and weight of an aero-engine. However, due to its geometry, it features a complex flow field, and therefore in-depth aerodynamic investigations are necessary. Especially for aviation, every component needs to function reliably during all operating points. To perform this study at the Institute for Thermal Turbomachinery at the Graz University of Technology, the Subsonic Test Turbine Facility for Aerodynamic, Aeroacoustic and Aeroelastic Investigations was equipped with a turbine vane frame and a low-pressure turbine located downstream. Measurements were taken with aerodynamic five-hole probes for three operating points, and were compared with steady-state and transient simulations as well as analytic solutions for the pressure drop in the TVF. Finally, the most important loss mechanisms are described.

Aeroelastic investigation on an all-movable horizontal tail with free-play nonlinearity

Free-play-induced nonlinear dynamic behavior has been one of the most important topics of aeroelastic research in recent decades. In this paper, the describing function (DF) method is developed to investigate the complex dynamic response of a popular all-movable horizontal tail with free-play. Piecewise expressions for the time history and phase portrait of limit cycle oscillation (LCO) are derived by the developed DF method, which is conducive to understand the mechanism of free-play-induced LCO. Another advantage of the developed DF method is the ability to predict the high-order harmonics, which cannot be realized by the classic DF method. A three-dimensional (3D) all-movable horizontal tail model with torsional free-play was designed and manufactured to implement wind tunnel tests via various initial parameters. A good agreement was found between the numerical and experimental results, which can demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The influence of the initial parameters of the all-movable horizontal tail on the LCO characteristics is analyzed by both numerical calculations and wind tunnel tests. The method and results in this paper can provide a significant reference for the design of all-movable horizontal tail versus the free-play-induced LCO.

Experimental Aeroelastic Investigation of an All-Movable Horizontal Tail Model with Bending and Torsion Free-Plays

In this study, an experimental investigation is performed on a scaled, all-movable horizontal tail to study the aeroelastic behaviors induced by multiple free-plays. The dynamic response in wind tunnel tests is measured by strain gauges, an accelerometer, and a binocular vision measurement system. The obtained results indicate that the present aeroelastic system exhibits highly nonlinear characteristics and undergoes two independent limit cycle oscillations (LCOs) induced by bending free-play and torsion free-play, respectively. Further, various parametric studies are conducted to evaluate the effects of the free-play angles, angle of attack, flow velocity, and gust excitation on the LCOs. It is found that the value of free-play angle has no significant effect on the critical flow velocity which leads to the occurrence of LCOs. The amplitude and frequency of LCOs increase with the increasing free-play angle and flow velocity. Moreover, the horizontal tail experiences high-order harmonic resonances when LCOs appear. Finally, the stability of limit cycles is analyzed based on the gust excitation experiment. Overall, compared to an all-movable horizontal tail with single free-play, the multiple free-plays system exhibits more complex dynamic behaviors. In this paper, the measured results of the scaled model, which has a similar mass distribution and stiffness distribution as actual aircraft, may be valuable for predicting such LCOs induced by multiple free-plays, and providing a reference for the design of all-movable horizontal tail to prevent LCOs.

Aeroelastic investigation and stability of small- and mid-scale wind turbine blades

Aeroelastic investigation and stability of small- and mid-scale wind turbine blades

Experimental Aeroelastic Investigation using Piezoelectric Transducers in Wind Tunnel Testing

Experimental Aeroelastic Investigation using Piezoelectric Transducers in Wind Tunnel Testing

Experimental Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic Investigation of a Highly-Loaded 1.5-Stage Transonic Compressor with Tandem Stator

This paper experimentally investigates a highly-loaded 1.5-stage transonic axial compressor, which comprises a variable inlet guide vane, a BLISK rotor, and a variable stator in tandem arrangement. A detailed comparison between the newly designed compressor stage and a reference stage with a conventional stator design was conducted by using extensive instrumentation. Thus, steady and unsteady phenomena—focusing on the aerodynamic and aeroelastic behavior—were analyzed. Due to the new stator vane design, a higher aerodynamic stator vane loading was pursued, while the vane count was reduced. This, in turn, allowed a rotor design with an increased work coefficient. This experimental study revealed several effects of the optimized compressor stage in terms of both performance and the corresponding aerodynamics, as well as the aeroelastic behavior.

Experimental Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic Investigation of a Transonic Compressor Rotor with Reduced Blade Count

This study investigates the aerodynamic and aeroelastic characteristics of a transonic axial compressor, focusing on blade count reduced rotor behavior. The analysis is based on experiments, conducted at the Transonic Compressor Darmstadt test rig at Technical University of Darmstadt and compulsory simulations. In order to obtain measurement data for the detailed aerodynamic and aeroelastic investigation, extensive steady and unsteady instrumentation was applied. Besides transient measurements at the stability limit to determine the operating range and limiting phenomena, performance measurements were performed, presenting promising results with respect to the capabilities of blade count reduced rotors. Close to the stability limit, aerodynamic disturbances like radial vortices were detected for both rotors, varying in size, count, speed and trajectory. Comparing the rotor configurations results in different stability limits along the compressor map as well as varying aeromechanical behavior. Those effects can partially be traced to the variation in blade pitch and associated aerodynamics.

Aeroelastic Investigation of a Transonic Compressor Rotor with Multi-Row Effects

According to the modern turbomachinery design trend, blades are getting more and more flexible and loaded, and therefore prone to vibration issues due to forced response and flutter phenomena. For this reason, the flutter stability assessment has become a key aspect to avoid high cycle fatigue (HCF) blade failures. The aim of this paper is to numerically evaluate the influence of unsteady aerodynamic effects, due to upstream and downstream rows, on flutter predictions using an uncoupled method. Both CFD aeroelastic and modal analyses have been carried out for a one and half compressor stage in transonic conditions. Flutter results are reported for the classic single-row approach and then for the multi-row model which includes rotor/stator unsteady interactions: a good agreement with measured data is shown for both cases and also a no negligible impact of adjacent rows can be observed.

Aeroelastic behaviour of UAV wings due to morphing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the effects of morphing on the aeroelastic behaviour of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) wings to make an emphasis on the required aeroelastic tailoring starting from the conceptual design of the morphing mechanisms.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, flutter and divergence characteristics of a fully morphing wing design were discussed to show the dilapidating effect of morphing on the related parameters. The morphing wings were intended to achieve a high efficiency at different flight phases; thus, various morphing concepts were integrated into a UAV wing structure. Although it is considered beneficial to have the morphing capabilities to avoid the failure due to a possible wear out in flutter and divergence parameters; it is necessary to include the aeroelastic analyses at the early design phases. This study utilizes a combination of a reduced order structural model and Theodorsen unsteady aerodynamic model as primary analyses tools for flutter and divergence. The analyses were conducted by using an in-house developed pk-algorithm coupled with a commercial finite element analysis (FEA) tool. This approach yielded a fast solution capacity because of the state-space form used.FindingsAnalyses conducted showed that transition between take-off, climb, cruise and loiter phases yield a change in the flutter and divergence speeds as high as 138 and 305 per cent, respectively.Practical implicationsThe research showed that an extensive aeroelastic investigation was required for morphing wing designs to achieve a failure safe design.Originality/valueThe research intends to highlight the possible deteriorating effects on structural design of morphing UAV wings by focusing on the aeroelastic characteristics. In addition to that, fundamental morphing concepts are compared in terms of the order of magnitude of their deteriorating effects.

Computational Study of Transonic Limit Cycle Oscillation Phenomenon on F-16 Fighter Aircraft

The paper presents a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes computational aeroelastic investigation of the limit cycle oscillations phenomenon of the F-16 aircraft wing, with correlation to flight tests. The study is the first step toward a new computational capability, currently under development, to enable the prediction of the limit cycle oscillations phenomenon for Israeli Air Force purposes. The study presents aeroelastic simulations of the full-span F-16 fighter computational model including a linear modal structural model and an aerodynamic wing model. The simulations are performed at flow conditions for which limit cycle oscillations were encountered in flight tests. The effects of dynamic pressure, structural damping, angle of attack, and turbulence modeling on the characteristics of the phenomenon are discussed. The relationship between flutter and limit cycle oscillations is investigated, and the origin of limit cycle oscillations is identified as nonlinear, self-sustained, periodic, shock-wave oscillations on the upper surface of the wing. These oscillations are suggested to suppress flutter into limit cycle oscillations.

Aeroelastic response and limit cycle oscillations for wing-flap-tab section with freeplay in tab

A linear and nonlinear theoretical and experimental aeroelastic investigation of a wing-flap-tab typical section model undergoing two-dimensional incompressible airflow is described. The linear flutter velocity (LFV) and frequency are predicted using linear analysis. Then a freeplay structural nonlinearity is considered in the tab. The structural equations of motion have been coupled with Theodorsen aerodynamic theory to produce the theoretical aeroelastic model which is analyzed by a state space method to predict the LFV and flutter frequency. Linear piecewise function has been used to introduce the tab spring stiffness in the freeplay state. The ground vibration test is used to measure the model structural dynamic characteristics. Then the experimental aeroelastic model is placed in a low speed wind tunnel to measure the LFV and the limit cycle oscillation (LCO) of the physical model induced by freeplay. The root main square amplitude value of the pitch, flap pitch, tab pitch and plunge degrees of freedom of the tab nonlinearities are normalized with freeplay gap size to produce a bifurcation diagram with normalized airflow velocity as the bifurcation parameter. The results show that the LCO frequency jumps from low to high frequency at a yet higher flow velocity. At the same flow velocity, the pitch and plunge motion response amplitudes drop while the flap pitch and tab pitch degrees of freedom response amplitude increase. In general the experimental measured LCO is more complicated than the theoretically calculated LCO in terms of the harmonic content of the response. On the other hand there is good agreement between the theoretical and experimental result of the linear system as well the LCO for the tab freeplay nonlinearities.

Cyber-physical flexible wing for aeroelastic investigations of stall and classical flutter

The fluid–structure interactions of a finite aspect ratio, cantilevered, flexible wing were investigated using a cyber-physical system to virtually augment the torsional dynamics of the wing. Cyber-physical systems (CPS), which have recently been pursued by a small number of research groups, have proven to be a very useful mechanism to interrogate the fluid–structure interaction parameter space. The premise of a CPS is to use dynamic feedback control to make a system behave according to desired equations of motion. Systems are composed of embedded hardware and software coupled with real-time computing to give the user the flexibility to quickly explore a range of structural parameters. With the advancement of modern control theory, robotics and embedded systems, CPSs integrate both simulation and physical properties into a smart structure which can be used to push the boundaries of research investigations.The CPS in this work allows for the investigation of dynamic aeroelastic instabilities of a three-dimensional, flexible, rectangular planform wing. Two dynamic instability regimes are observed: first, stall flutter, in which the torsional or pitch mode is excited through the dynamic stall process, and second, coupled (or classical) flutter, in which the pitch mode couples with the bending mode. By varying the torsional stiffness and therefore the frequency of torsional versus bending oscillations of the wing, both of these regimes can be attained at the same aerodynamic conditions using the CPS.

Detection of Blade Mistuning in a Low Pressure Turbine Rotor Resulting from Manufacturing Tolerances and Differences in Blade Mounting

For a serious prediction of vibration characteristics of any structure, a detailed knowledge of the modal characteristic is essential. This is especially important for bladed turbine rotors. Mistuning of the blading of a turbine rotor can appear due to manufacturing tolerances or because of the blading process itself due to unequal mounting of the blades into the disk. This paper investigates the mistuning of the individual blades of a low pressure turbine with respect to the effects mentioned above. Two different rotors with different aerodynamic design of the blades were investigated. The blades were mounted to the disk with a so-called hammer head root which is especially prone to mounting irregularities. For detailed investigations, the rotor was excited with a shaker system to detect the forced response behavior of the individual blades. The measurements were done with a laser vibrometer system. As the excitation of rotor structure was held constant during measurement, it was possible to detect the line of nodes and mode shapes as well. It could be shown that the assembly process has an influence on the mistuning. The data were analyzed and compared with numerical results. For this, different contact models and boundary conditions were used. The above described characterization of modal behavior of the rotor is the basis for the upcoming aeroelastic investigations and especially for the blade vibration measurements of the rotor, turning with design and off-design speeds.

Aeroelastic Analysis of a Transonic Fan Blade with Low Hub-to-Tip Ratio including Mistuning Effects

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation of aeroelastic stability for a high aft-swept transonic fan blade with low hub-to-tip ratio. The evolution of the blade’s aeroelastic stability in the first bending modes is studied. A 3D flutter computation representing today’s industry standard is performed. Steady state flow field and motion-induced unsteady pressures acting on the blade have been determined by a 3D Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with a standard k-e turbulence model. A weakly coupled (one-way) method has been employed to describe the interaction between fluid and structure. The results of aerodynamic damping indicate a significant shock-driven risk. To increase the flutter margin by a viable method, a statistical mistuned aeroelastic stability investigation has been performed. It has been found that alternately intentional mistuning with a small blade frequency offset stabilizes the system effectively. However, as the standard deviation of random mistuning reaches some critical values, the introduction of alternately intentional mistuning does not provide any additional stabilizing effects.

Computational aeroelastic investigation of a transonic limit-cycle-oscillation experiment at a transport aircraft wing model

Aeroelastic measurements of a three-dimensional wing model, the so-called Aerostabil wing, were conducted in the Transonic Windtunnel Göttingen. This clean, backward-swept wing allowed the experimental investigation of limit cycle oscillations in a certain transonic parameter range. In this paper, a detailed insight into the observed physical phenomena, especially the measured limit cycle oscillations, is presented by means of CFD–CSM coupled simulations. These simulations on the basis of a detailed structural finite element model reveal the specific properties of the Aerostabil wing and furthermore allow investigating the unstable behavior of this windtunnel model for transonic flow settings. The aerodynamic characteristics include a two-shock system and large flow separation areas, further increasing the complexity of the aeroelastic problem. A structural single degree-of-freedom system is used for the prediction of the experimental stability range and the limit cycle oscillation investigations. Due to the good agreement of simulation and experiment the limit cycle oscillations can be explained by means of nonlinear aerodynamic effects.

Structural Deformation and Stress Analysis of Aircraft Wing by Finite Element Method

Wing of an aircraft is lift producing component. It makes aircraft airborne by generating lift>weight. The wing must take the full aircraft weight during flying. So, it is very sophisticated task for designing a wing by keeping consideration of every design parameters simultaneously. This paper contains analysis of structural properties of wing by using finite element method. For well-organized design all the variables must be considered from the beginning of the design phase. The design phases for aircraft are: conceptual, preliminary and detail design. Until the preliminary design phase the aircraft structure is not considered. During these phases the material of the wing should be selected in such a way so that it can perform efficiently with less unexpected phenomena (drag) for which responsible properties are displacement, stress etc. Currently the most focusing area for the aero-elastic investigation is to design wing with good aerodynamic shape which will associated with less dragging structural behavior. It helps to reduce SFC (Specific Fuel Consumption) and so the cost. The analysis on that has done through Computational means as well as simulation technique to develop knowledge about the variation of aircraft wing structural properties.

Non-contact test set-up for aeroelasticity in a rotating turbomachine combining a novel acoustic excitation system with tip-timing

Due to trends in aero-design, aeroelasticity becomes increasingly important in modern turbomachines. Design requirements of turbomachines lead to the development of high aspect ratio blades and blade integral disc designs (blisks), which are especially prone to complex modes of vibration. Therefore, experimental investigations yielding high quality data are required for improving the understanding of aeroelastic effects in turbomachines. One possibility to achieve high quality data is to excite and measure blade vibrations in turbomachines. The major requirement for blade excitation and blade vibration measurements is to minimize interference with the aeroelastic effects to be investigated. Thus in this paper, a non-contact—and thus low interference—experimental set-up for exciting and measuring blade vibrations is proposed and shown to work. A novel acoustic system excites rotor blade vibrations, which are measured with an optical tip-timing system. By performing measurements in an axial compressor, the potential of the acoustic excitation method for investigating aeroelastic effects is explored. The basic principle of this method is described and proven through the analysis of blade responses at different acoustic excitation frequencies and at different rotational speeds. To verify the accuracy of the tip-timing system, amplitudes measured by tip-timing are compared with strain gage measurements. They are found to agree well. Two approaches to vary the nodal diameter (ND) of the excited vibration mode by controlling the acoustic excitation are presented. By combining the different excitable acoustic modes with a phase-lag control, each ND of the investigated 30 blade rotor can be excited individually. This feature of the present acoustic excitation system is of great benefit to aeroelastic investigations and represents one of the main advantages over other excitation methods proposed in the past. In future studies, the acoustic excitation method will be used to investigate aeroelastic effects in high-speed turbomachines in detail. The results of these investigations are to be used to improve the aeroelastic design of modern turbomachines.

Aeroelastic investigation of a composite wind turbine blade

Static aeroelastic is investigated in a wind turbine blade. Imposed to different loadings, the very long and flexible structures of blades experience some changes in its preliminary geometry. This results in variations of aerodynamic loadings. An iterative approach is developed to study the interactions between structure and aerodynamics evaluating variations in induced stresses in presence of aeroelasticity phenomenon for a specific wind turbine blade. A 3D finite element model of the blade is constructed. Aerodynamic loading is applied to the model and deflected shape is extracted. Then, aerodynamic loadings are updated in accordance with the new geometry of the deflected blade. This process is repeated till the convergence is met. Different operational conditions consisting of stand-by, start-up, power production and normal shut-down events are investigated. It is revealed that stress components vary significantly in the event of power production at the rated wind speed; while it is less pronounced for the events of normal shut-down and stand-by.

Parallelized Aeroelastic Investigation Based on Delaunay Graph Mapping

Parallelized Aeroelastic Investigation Based on Delaunay Graph Mapping