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At least 217 records · Page 12

Space Shuttle - A new arena for the structural dynamicists.

The Space Shuttle represents the focus of NASA development endeavors for the next decade. The purpose of the shuttle is to provide a general launch capability for a variety of payloads ranging in weight to as high as 65,000 pounds. This paper concentrates on one aspect of the shuttle development, namely, dynamics and aeroelasticity. The objective of our research during the first year of activity has been directed at searching out problems peculiar to the Space Shuttle, reviewing the state of the art, and developing a program to satisfy the needs. Some of the specific items covered in this paper are vibration modes, thermal protection system dynamics, fluid dynamics, ground winds, flutter, buffet, and noise.

Runyan, H. L.↗

Use of the Matching Pursuit Algorithm for Flight Flutter Test Data Analysis

The goal of flight flutter testing is to detect possibly destructive modes of aircraft vibration which may arise during flight from interaction of aerodynamic forces with structural dynamic properties of the airframe. This is typically accomplished by exciting the airframe with a time varying force and monitoring the response of the aircraft throughout its flight envelope. The data generated must be analyzed and presented so that the frequency and time of occurrence of excited modes are clearly and unambiguously displayed. Processing and display in near real time is also desirable. Display of data in the time-frequency plane is a natural choice because it is a familiar and intuitive framework. The Matching Pursuit algorithm provides a time-frequency analysis with good adaptability to signal structure and good signal representation in the time-frequency plane. Improvements in efficiency are needed before the algorithm can be used in real time, however.

Nelson, Ronald E.↗

An experimental and analytical investigation of the effect of spanwise curvature on wing flutter at Mach number of 0.7

An experimental and analytical study was conducted at Mach 0.7 to investigate the effects of spanwise curvature on flutter. Two series of rectangular planform wings of aspect ration 1.5 and curvature ranging from zero (uncurved) to 1.04/ft were flutter tested in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT). One series consisted of models with a NACA 65 A010 airfoil section and the other of flat plate cross section models. Flutter analyses were conducted for correlation with the experimental results by using structural finite element methods to perform vibration analysis and two aerodynamic theories to obtain unsteady aerodynamic load calculations. The experimental results showed that for one series of models the flutter dynamic pressure increased significantly with curvature while for the other series of models the flutter dynamic pressure decreased with curvature. The flutter analyses, which generally predicted the experimental results, indicated that the difference in behavior of the two series of models was primarily due to differences in their structural properties.

Rivera, Jose A., Jr.↗

The application of pulse excitation to ground and flight vibration tests

A discussion of the relative merits of sinusoidal versus nonharmonic excitation for flight flutter testing is presented. It is concluded that the use of transient excitation is rapidly becoming a necessity. The application of small-scale rocket motors to the excitation of the aircraft is suggested. The design and development of rocket motors specifically for flight flutter testing is described. Methods of measuring and analyzing the transient response of the aircraft are discussed, and the techniques of theoretically predicting the structural response are described.

Laidlaw, W. R.↗

Tail-Cone Thruster Fan Rotor Flutter Analysis

The aeroelastic stability of a tail cone thruster fan was analyzed for three structural modes and various nodal diameter patterns. Computational fluid dynamics modeling with blade vibrations was used in the analyses performed at design (peak-efficiency) and two near-stall conditions at the design rotational speed. Aerodynamic damping was used to assess flutter since this integrally bladed rotor design will have minimal structural damping. Aerodynamic damping was found to be low at the design condition. For the first mode, aerodynamic damping was seen to decrease towards stall, vanishing for a zero nodal diameter pattern. Further decrease in mass flow led to negative aerodynamic damping (flutter) for the first and second nodal diameters in the near stall condition. The flowfield at this lowest mass flow rate exhibited some additional unsteadiness at higher frequency. The sensitivity of results to time step and amplitudes of vibration was examined and found to be very satisfactory. The largest uncertainty in the results comes from the observed sensitivity of the aerodynamic damping to details of the variation of grid deformations in the blade passage mesh from the blade passage to the boundaries. For the parametric variations analyzed, the calculated aerodynamic damping is lower if the grid deformations near the blade surface are higher. Further work is needed to understand the cause of this sensitivity and find possible solutions to reduce the effects on flutter predictions.

Fan↗

Flutter analysis of composite box beams

The dynamic aeroelastic instability of flutter is an important factor in the design of modern high-speed, flexible aircraft. The current trend is toward the creative use of composites to delay flutter. To obtain an optimum design, we need an accurate as well as efficient model. As a first step towards this goal, flutter analysis is carried out for an unswept composite box beam using a linear structural model and Theodorsen's unsteady aerodynamic theory. Structurally, the wing was modeled as a thin-walled box-beam of rectangular cross section. Theodorsen's theory was used to get 2-D unsteady aerodynamic forces, which were integrated over the span. A free-vibration analysis is carried out. These fundamental modes are used to get the flutter solution using the V-g method. Future work is intended to build on this foundation.

Hodges, Dewey H.↗

High-Temperature Modal Survey of a Hot-Structure Control Surface

NASA Dryden is directing a program to test a Carbon-Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) Ruddervator Subcomponent Test Article (RSTA). The RSTA is a truncated version of the full-scale X-37 hot-structure control surface incorporating all major features including the metallic spindle and five major C/SiC quasi isotropic lay-up components secured with C/SiC fasteners. As part of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Hypersonics program, the RSTA will undergo thermal-structural testing to develop an extensive database for future structural design and analysis methodology validation. Ground Vibration Tests (GVTs) are routinely conducted for model validation in supporting flutter analysis for subsonic and supersonic vehicles; however, for hypersonic vehicle applications, GVT techniques are not well-established. New fabrication technologies, high-temperature materials systems, and sensors offer new opportunities to develop techniques for performing GVTs at elevated temperatures. The RSTA is comprised of materials whose stiffness both increases and decreases with increasing temperature. The impact of this type of material system interaction must be understood as it will ultimately affect hypersonic flutter analysis. The test objectives are to perform room-temperature GVTs, develop the capability to conduct high-temperature GVTs and to compare and generate an understanding of the modal characteristics which capture RSTA's material interaction when subjected to temperature varying conditions.

Spivey, Natalie D.↗

Ground vibration test of the XV-15 Tiltrotor Research Aircraft and pretest predictions

The first comprehensive ground vibration survey was performed on the XV-15 Tiltrotor Research Aircraft to measure the vibration modes of the airframe and to provide data critical for determining whirl flutter stability margins. The aircraft was suspended by the wings with bungee cords and cables. A NASTRAN finite element model was used in the design of the suspension system to minimize its interference with the wing modes. The primary objective of the test was to measure the dynamic characteristics of the wings and pylons for aeroelastic stability analysis. In addition, over 130 accelerometers were placed on the airframe to characterize the fuselage, wing, and tail vibration. Pretest predictions were made with the NASTRAN model as well as correlations with the test data. The results showed that the suspension system provided the isolation necessary for modal measurements.

Studebaker, Karen↗

Gradient Based Optimization of Chaotic Panel Flutter

This work considers the gradient-based optimization of an aeroelastic panel structure undergoing chaotic vibrations. A previously-presented adaptive time-marching scheme is used to stabilize the design sensitivities which would normally grow unbounded in time, owing to intermittent unstable eigenvalues of the Jacobian. The design optimization entails forcing the root mean square (RMS) of the panel vibration to some specified value, in a way that minimizes the deviation of the structural thickness variables from their uniform baseline values. Depending on the location of the RMS constraint, the output physics maybe chaotic, limit cycle oscillations, or statically buckled.

Bret Kennedy Stanford↗

Modeling Techniques for Evaluation the Effectiveness of Particle Damping in Turbomachinery

High power turbopumps are frequently used to supply propellants to the combustion chambers of rocket engines. Due to the high pressures and flow-rates required, turbopump components are subjected to harsh environments which include dynamic excitation due to random, sine, and acoustic vibration. Additionally, fluid-induced forces can couple with the dynamics of the structure resulting in flow induced instabilities (flutter). Structural response to these forms of excitation results in reduced fatigue life and increases the likelihood of an operational failure. Particle damping has been used successfully on vibration problems in the past by increasing the damping and therefore reducing the response to acceptable levels. Empirical methods have typically been employed to evaluate the performance of the particles in reducing the structural response. This report explores the use of finite element methods to estimate the effectiveness of particle damping in a typical non-rotating turbopump component. Axisymmetric harmonic models are used to estimate the increase in modal damping produced by the addition of particles in the cavity of an axisymmetric seal. Target modes of vibration are evaluated to quantify how the effective particle damping is altered by geometry changes in the seal design. A new method to predict the performance of particle dampers is developed and shown to provide more reasonable estimates of damping.

Ehrgott, R.↗

Ground vibration test results for Drones for Aerodynamic and Structural Testing (DAST)/Aeroelastic Research Wing (ARW-1R) aircraft

The drones for aerodynamic and structural testing (DAST) project was designed to control flutter actively at high subsonic speeds. Accurate knowledge of the structural model was critical for the successful design of the control system. A ground vibration test was conducted on the DAST vehicle to determine the structural model characteristics. This report presents and discusses the vibration and test equipment, the test setup and procedures, and the antisymmetric and symmetric mode shape results. The modal characteristics were subsequently used to update the structural model employed in the control law design process.

Cox, T. H.↗

Further studies of stall flutter and nonlinear divergence of two-dimensional wings

An experimental investigation is made of the purely torsional stall flutter of a two-dimensional wing pivoted about the midchord, and also of the bending-torsion stall flutter of a two-dimensional wing pivoted about the quarterchord. For the purely torsional flutter case, large amplitude limit cycles ranging from + or - 11 to + or - 160 degrees were observed. Nondimensional harmonic coefficients were extracted from the free transient vibration tests for amplitudes up to 80 degrees. Reasonable nondimensional correlation was obtained for several wing configurations. For the bending-torsion flutter case, large amplitude coupled limit cycles were observed with torsional amplitudes as large as + or - 40 degrees. The torsion amplitudes first increased, then decreased with increasing velocity. Additionally, a small amplitude, predominantly torsional flutter was observed when the static equilibrium angle was near the stall angle.

Dugundji, J.↗

Sensitivity Analysis of Wing Aeroelastic Responses

Design for prevention of aeroelastic instability (that is, the critical speeds leading to aeroelastic instability lie outside the operating range) is an integral part of the wing design process. Availability of the sensitivity derivatives of the various critical speeds with respect to shape parameters of the wing could be very useful to a designer in the initial design phase, when several design changes are made and the shape of the final configuration is not yet frozen. These derivatives are also indispensable for a gradient-based optimization with aeroelastic constraints. In this study, flutter characteristic of a typical section in subsonic compressible flow is examined using a state-space unsteady aerodynamic representation. The sensitivity of the flutter speed of the typical section with respect to its mass and stiffness parameters, namely, mass ratio, static unbalance, radius of gyration, bending frequency, and torsional frequency is calculated analytically. A strip theory formulation is newly developed to represent the unsteady aerodynamic forces on a wing. This is coupled with an equivalent plate structural model and solved as an eigenvalue problem to determine the critical speed of the wing. Flutter analysis of the wing is also carried out using a lifting-surface subsonic kernel function aerodynamic theory (FAST) and an equivalent plate structural model. Finite element modeling of the wing is done using NASTRAN so that wing structures made of spars and ribs and top and bottom wing skins could be analyzed. The free vibration modes of the wing obtained from NASTRAN are input into FAST to compute the flutter speed. An equivalent plate model which incorporates first-order shear deformation theory is then examined so it can be used to model thick wings, where shear deformations are important. The sensitivity of natural frequencies to changes in shape parameters is obtained using ADIFOR. A simple optimization effort is made towards obtaining a minimum weight design of the wing, subject to flutter constraints, lift requirement constraints for level flight and side constraints on the planform parameters of the wing using the IMSL subroutine NCONG, which uses successive quadratic programming.

Issac, Jason Cherian↗

Fan Flutter Computations Using the Harmonic Balance Method

An experimental forward-swept fan encountered flutter at part-speed conditions during wind tunnel testing. A new propulsion aeroelasticity code, based on a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach, was used to model the aeroelastic behavior of this fan. This threedimensional code models the unsteady flowfield due to blade vibrations using a harmonic balance method to solve the Navier-Stokes equations. This paper describes the flutter calculations and compares the results to experimental measurements and previous results from a time-accurate propulsion aeroelasticity code.

Bakhle, Milind A.↗

A Cross-Validation Approach to Approximate Basis Function Selection of the Stall Flutter Response of a Rectangular Wing in a Wind Tunnel

The stall flutter response of a rectangular wing in a low speed wind tunnel is modelled using a nonlinear difference equation description. Static and dynamic tests are used to select a suitable model structure and basis function. Bifurcation criteria such as the Hopf condition and vibration amplitude variation with airspeed were used to ensure the model was representative of experimentally measured stall flutter phenomena. Dynamic test data were used to estimate model parameters and estimate an approximate basis function.

Kukreja, Sunil L.↗

Flutter Stability of the Efficient Low Noise Fan Calculated

The TURBO-AE aeroelastic code has been used to verify the flutter stability of the Efficient Low Noise Fan (ELNF), which is also referred to as the trailing-edge blowing fan. The ELNF is a unique technology demonstrator being designed and fabricated at the NASA Glenn Research Center for testing in Glenn's 9-by-15-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel. In the ELNF, air can be blown out of slots near the trailing edges of the fan blades to fill in the wakes downstream of the rotating blades. This filling of the wakes leads to a reduction of the rotor-stator interaction (tone) noise that results from the interaction of wakes with the downstream stators. The ELNF will demonstrate a 1.6-EPNdB1 reduction in tone noise through wake filling, without increasing the broadband noise. Furthermore, the reduced blade row interaction will decrease the possibility of forced response and enable closer spacing of blade rows, thus reducing engine length and weight. During the design of the ELNF, the rotor blades were checked for flutter stability using the detailed aeroelastic analysis capability of the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes TURBOAE code. The aeroelastic calculations were preceded by steady calculations in which the blades were not allowed to vibrate. For each rotational speed, as the back-pressure was increased, the mass flow rate decreased, and the operating point moved along the constant speed characteristic (speed-line) from choke to stall as shown on the fan map. The TURBO-AE aeroelastic analyses were performed separately for the first two vibration modes (bending and torsion) and covered the complete range of interblade phase angles or nodal diameters at which flutter can occur. The results indicated that the ELNF blades would not encounter flutter at takeoff conditions. The calculations were then repeated for a part-speed condition (70-percent rotational speed), and the results again showed no flutter in the operating region. On the fan map (shown), the predicted flutter point at part speed condition was located beyond the stall line, which means that the ELNF will not encounter flutter since it will never operate beyond the stall line. All the calculations done so far have been for the nonblowing case, and selected calculations will be repeated with air blowing from the trailing edge of the fan.

Bakhle, Milind A.↗

User's Guide for a Modular Flutter Analysis Software System (Fast Version 1.0)

The use and operation of a group of computer programs to perform a flutter analysis of a single planar wing are described. This system of programs is called FAST for Flutter Analysis System, and consists of five programs. Each program performs certain portions of a flutter analysis and can be run sequentially as a job step or individually. FAST uses natural vibration modes as input data and performs a conventional V-g type of solution. The unsteady aerodynamics programs in FAST are based on the subsonic kernel function lifting-surface theory although other aerodynamic programs can be used. Application of the programs is illustrated by a sample case of a complete flutter calculation that exercises each program.

Desmarais, R. N.↗