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NASA NTRS2005

Predicting Flutter and Forced Response in Turbomachinery

TURBO-AE is a computer code that enables detailed, high-fidelity modeling of aeroelastic and unsteady aerodynamic characteristics for prediction of flutter, forced response, and blade-row interaction effects in turbomachinery. Flow regimes that can be modeled include subsonic, transonic, and supersonic, with attached and/or separated flow fields. The three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved numerically to obtain extremely accurate descriptions of unsteady flow fields in multistage turbomachinery configurations. Blade vibration is simulated by use of a dynamic-grid-deformation technique to calculate the energy exchange for determining the aerodynamic damping of vibrations of blades. The aerodynamic damping can be used to assess the stability of a blade row. TURBO-AE also calculates the unsteady blade loading attributable to such external sources of excitation as incoming gusts and blade-row interactions. These blade loadings, along with aerodynamic damping, are used to calculate the forced responses of blades to predict their fatigue lives. Phase-lagged boundary conditions based on the direct-store method are used to calculate nonzero interblade phase-angle oscillations; this practice eliminates the need to model multiple blade passages, and, hence, enables large savings in computational resources.

VanZante, Dale E.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Preliminary flight assessment of the X-29A advanced technology demonstrator

Several new technologies integrated on the X-29A advanced technology demonstrator are being evaluated for the next generation of fighter aircraft. Some of the most noteworthy ones are the forward-swept wing, digital fly-by-wire flight control system, close-coupled wing-canard configuration, aeroelastically tailored composite wing skins, three-surface pitch control configuration, and a highly unstable airframe. The expansion of the aircraft 1-g and maneuver flight envelopes was recently completed over a two-year period in 84 flights. Overall flight results confirmed the viability of the aircraft design, and good agreement with preflight predictions was obtained. The individual technologies' operational workability and performance were confirmed. This paper deals with the flight test results and the preliminary evaluation of the X-29A design and technologies. A summary of the primary technical findings in structural static loads, structural dynamic characteristics, flight control system characteristics, aerodynamic stability and control, and aerodynamic performance is presented.

Hicks, John W.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Preliminary flight assessment of the X-29A advanced technology demonstrator

Hicks, John W.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Study of the single body yawed-wing aircraft concept

Areas relating to the development and improvement of the single-fuselage, yawed-wing transonic transport concept were investigated. These included: (1) developing an alternate configuration with a simplified engine installation;(2) determining a structural design speed placard that would allow the engine-airframe match for optimum airplane performance; and (3) conducting an aeroelastic stability and control analysis of the yawed-wing configuration with a flexible wing. A two-engine, single-fuselage, yawed-wing configuration was developed that achieved the Mach 1.2 design mission at 5560 km (3000 nmi) and payload of 18,140 kg (40,000 lb) with a gross weight of 217,700 kg (480,000 lb). This airplane was slightly heavier than the aft-integrated four-engine configuration that had been developed in a previous study. A modified structural design speed placard, which was determined, resulted in a 6% to 8% reduction in the gross weight of the yawed-wing configurations. The dynamic stability characteristics of the single-fuselage yawed-wing configuration were found to be very dependent on the magnitude of the pitch/roll coupling, the static longitudinal stability, and the dihedral effect.

Kulfan, R. M.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Investigation of the Flow Physics Driving Stall-Side Flutter in Advanced Forward Swept Fan Designs

Flutter-free operation of advanced transonic fan designs continues to be a challenging task for the designers of aircraft engines. In order to meet the demands of increased performance and lighter weight, these modern fan designs usually feature low-aspect ratio shroudless rotor blade designs that make the task of achieving adequate flutter margin even more challenging for the aeroelastician. This is especially true for advanced forward swept designs that encompass an entirely new design space compared to previous experience. Fortunately, advances in unsteady computational fluid dynamic (CFD) techniques over the past decade now provide an analysis capability that can be used to quantitatively assess the aeroelastic characteristics of these next generation fans during the design cycle. For aeroelastic applications, Mississippi State University and NASA Glenn Research Center have developed the CFD code TURBO-AE. This code is a time-accurate three-dimensional Euler/Navier-Stokes unsteady flow solver developed for axial-flow turbomachinery that can model multiple blade rows undergoing harmonic oscillations with arbitrary interblade phase angles, i.e., nodal diameter patterns. Details of the code can be found in Chen et al. (1993, 1994), Bakhle et al. (1997, 1998), and Srivastava et al. (1999). To assess aeroelastic stability, the work-per-cycle from TURBO-AE is converted to the critical damping ratio since this value is more physically meaningful, with both the unsteady normal pressure and viscous shear forces included in the work-per-cycle calculation. If the total damping (aerodynamic plus mechanical) is negative, then the blade is unstable since it extracts energy from the flow field over the vibration cycle. TURBO-AE is an integral part of an aeroelastic design system being developed at Honeywell Engines, Systems & Services for flutter and forced response predictions, with test cases from development rig and engine tests being used to validate its predictive capability. A recent experimental program (Sanders et al., 2002) was aimed at providing the necessary unsteady aerodynamic and vibratory response data needed to validate TURBO-AE for fan flutter predictions. A comparison of numerical TURBO-AE simulations with the benchmark flutter data is given in Sanders et al. (2003), with the data used to guide the validation of the code and define best practices for performing accurate unsteady simulations. The agreement between the analyses and the predictions was quite remarkable, demonstrating the ability of the analysis to accurately model the unsteady flow processes driving stall-side flutter.

Sanders, Albert J.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Tiltrotor Vibration Reduction Through Higher Harmonic Control

The results of a joint NASA/Army/Bell Helicopter Textron wind-tunnel test to assess the potential of higher harmonic control (HHC) for reducing vibrations in tiltrotor aircraft operating in the airplane mode of flight, and to evaluate the effectiveness of a Bell-developed HHC algorithm called MAVSS (Multipoint Adaptive Vibration Suppression System) are presented. The test was conducted in the Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel using an unpowered 1/5-scale semispan aeroelastic model of the V-22 which was modified to incorporate an HHC system employing both the rotor swashplate and the wing flaperon. The effectiveness of the swashplate and the flaperon acting either singly or in combination in reducing IP and 3P wing vibrations over a wide range of tunnel airspeeds and rotor rotational speeds was demonstrated. The MAVSS algorithm was found to be robust to variations in tunnel airspeed and rotor speed, requiring only occasional on-line recalculations of the system transfer matrix. HHC had only a small (usually beneficial) effect on blade loads but increased pitch link loads by 25%. No degradation in aeroelastic stability was noted for any of the conditions tested.

Nixon, Mark W.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Aeroelastic modeling for the FIT team F/A-18 simulation

Some details of the aeroelastic modeling of the F/A-18 aircraft done for the Functional Integration Technology (FIT) team's research in integrated dynamics modeling and how these are combined with the FIT team's integrated dynamics model are described. Also described are mean axis corrections to elastic modes, the addition of nonlinear inertial coupling terms into the equations of motion, and the calculation of internal loads time histories using the integrated dynamics model in a batch simulation program. A video tape made of a loads time history animation was included as a part of the oral presentation. Also discussed is work done in one of the areas of unsteady aerodynamic modeling identified as needing improvement, specifically, in correction factor methodologies for improving the accuracy of stability derivatives calculated with a doublet lattice code.

Zeiler, Thomas A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Unsteady transonic algorithm improvements for realistic aircraft applications

Improvements to a time-accurate approximate factorization (AF) algorithm were implemented for steady and unsteady transonic analysis of realistic aircraft configurations. These algorithm improvements were made to the CAP-TSD (Computational Aeroelasticity Program - Transonic Small Disturbance) code developed at the Langley Research Center. The code permits the aeroelastic analysis of complete aircraft in the flutter critical transonic speed range. The AF algorithm of the CAP-TSD code solves the unsteady transonic small-disturbance equation. The algorithm improvements include: an Engquist-Osher (E-O) type-dependent switch to more accurately and efficiently treat regions of supersonic flow; extension of the E-O switch for second-order spatial accuracy in these regions; nonreflecting far field boundary conditions for more accurate unsteady applications; and several modifications which accelerate convergence to steady-state. Calculations are presented for several configurations including the General Dynamics one-ninth scale F-16C aircraft model to evaluate the algorithm modifications. The modifications have significantly improved the stability of the AF algorithm and hence the reliability of the CAP-TSD code in general.

Batina, John T.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Exploratory Studies in Generalized Predictive Control for Active Aeroelastic Control of Tiltrotor Aircraft

The Aeroelasticity Branch at NASA Langley Research Center has a long and substantive history of tiltrotor aeroelastic research. That research has included a broad range of experimental investigations in the Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) using a variety of scale models and the development of essential analyses. Since 1994, the tiltrotor research program has been using a 1/5-scale, semispan aeroelastic model of the V-22 designed and built by Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. (BHTI) in 1981. That model has been refurbished to form a tiltrotor research testbed called the Wing and Rotor Aeroelastic Test System (WRATS) for use in the TDT. In collaboration with BHTI, studies under the current tiltrotor research program are focused on aeroelastic technology areas having the potential for enhancing the commercial and military viability of tiltrotor aircraft. Among the areas being addressed, considerable emphasis is being directed to the evaluation of modern adaptive multi-input multi- output (MIMO) control techniques for active stability augmentation and vibration control of tiltrotor aircraft. As part of this investigation, a predictive control technique known as Generalized Predictive Control (GPC) is being studied to assess its potential for actively controlling the swashplate of tiltrotor aircraft to enhance aeroelastic stability in both helicopter and airplane modes of flight. This paper summarizes the exploratory numerical and experimental studies that were conducted as part of that investigation.

Kvaternik, Raymond G.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Steady and unsteady transonic small disturbance analysis of realistic aircraft configurations

A transonic unsteady aerodynamic and aeroelastic code called CAP-TSD (Computational Aeroelasticity Program - Transonic Small Disturbance) was developed for application to realistic aircraft configurations. It permits the calculation of steady and unsteady flows about complete aircraft configurations for aeroelastic analysis of the flutter critical transonic speed range. The CAP-TSD code uses a time accurate approximate factorization algorithm for solution of the unsteady transonic small disturbance potential equation. An overview is given of the CAP-TSD code development effort along with recent algorithm modifications which are listed and discussed. Calculations are presented for several configurations including the General Dynamics 1/9th scale F-16C aircraft model to evaluate the algorithm and hence the reliability of the CAP-TSD code in general. Calculations are also presented for a flutter analysis of a 45 deg sweptback wing which agree well with the experimental data. Descriptions are presented of the CAP-TSD code and algorithm details along with results and comparisons which demonstrate the stability, accuracy, efficiency, and utility of CAP-TSD.

Batina, John T.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Calculation of AGARD Wing 445.6 Flutter Using Navier-Stokes Aerodynamics

The flutter characteristics of the first AGARD standard aeroelastic configuration for dynamic response, Wing 445.6, are studied using an unsteady Navier-Stokes algorithm in order to investigate a previously noted discrepancy between Euler flutter characteristics and the experimental data. The algorithm, which is a three-dimensional, implicit, upwind Euler/Navier-Stokes code (CFL3D Version 2.1), was previously modified for the time-marching, aeroelastic analysis of wings using the unsteady Euler equations. These modifications include the incorporation of a deforming mesh algorithm and the addition of the structural equations of motion for their simultaneous time integration with the governing flow equations. In this paper, the aeroelastic method is extended and evaluated for applications that use the Navier- Stokes aerodynamics. The paper presents a brief description of the aeroelastic method and presents unsteady calculations which verify this method for Navier-Stokes calculations. A linear stability analysis and a time-marching aeroelastic analysis are used to determine the flutter characteristics of the isolated 45 deg. swept-back wing. Effects of fluid viscosity, structural damping, and number of modes in the structural model are investigated. For the linear stability analysis, the unsteady generalized aerodynamic forces of the wing are computed for a range of reduced frequencies using the pulse transfer-function approach. The flutter characteristics of the wing are determined using these unsteady generalized aerodynamic forces in a traditional V-g analysis. This stability analysis is used to determine the flutter characteristics of the wing at free-stream Mach numbers of 0.96 and 1.141 using the generalized aerodynamic forces generated by solving the Euler equations and the Navier-Stokes equations. Time-marching aeroelastic calculations are performed at a free-stream Mach number of 1.141 using the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations to compare with the linear V-g flutter analysis method. The V-g analysis, which is used in conjunction with the time-marching analysis, indicates that the fluid viscosity has a significant effect on the supersonic flutter boundary for this wing while the structural damping and number of modes in the structural model have a lesser effect.

Lee-Rausch, Elizabeth M.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of Oscillatory Response of Light-Weight Wind Turbine Rotors under Controlled Gust Pulses

Given the industry-wide trend of continual increases in the size of utility-scale wind turbines, a point will come where reductions will need to be made in terms of the weight of the turbine’s blades to ensure they can be as long as needed without sacrificing structural stability. One such technique that may be considered is to decrease the material used for the shell and spar cap. While this will solve the weight issue, it creates a new one entirely—less material for the shell and spar cap will in turn create blades that are more flexible than what is currently used. This article aims to investigate how the oscillatory response of light-weight wind turbine rotors is affected by these flexibility changes. The object of our study is the Sandia National Lab National Rotor Testbed (SNL-NRT) wind turbine, which the authors investigated in the course of a research project supported by SNL. Using a reduced-order characterization (ROC) technique based on controlled gust pulses, introduced by the authors in a previous work, the aeroelastic dynamics of the NRT’s original baseline blade design and several of its flexible variations were studied via numerical simulations employing the CODEF multiphysics suite. Results for this characterization are presented and analyzed, including a generalization of the ROC of the SNL-NRT oscillatory dynamics to larger machines with geometrical similarity. The latter will prove to be valuable in terms of extrapolating results from the present investigation and other ongoing studies to the scale of current and future commercial machines.

Ponta, Fernando (ORCID:0000000321032864)↗

NASA NTRS1991

A modal aeroelastic analysis scheme for turbomachinery blading

An aeroelastic analysis is developed which has general application to all types of axial-flow turbomachinery blades. The approach is based on linear modal analysis, where the blade's dynamic response is represented as a linear combination of contributions from each of its in-vacuum free vibrational modes. A compressible linearized unsteady potential theory is used to model the flow over the oscillating blades. The two-dimensional unsteady flow is evaluated along several stacked axisymmetric strips along the span of the airfoil. The unsteady pressures at the blade surface are integrated to result in the generalized force acting on the blade due to simple harmonic motions. The unsteady aerodynamic forces are coupled to the blade normal modes in the frequency domain using modal analysis. An iterative eigenvalue problem is solved to determine the stability of the blade when the unsteady aerodynamic forces are included in the analysis. The approach is demonstrated by applying it to a high-energy subsonic turbine blade from a rocket engine turbopump power turbine. The results indicate that this turbine could undergo flutter in an edgewise mode of vibration.

Smith, Todd E.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Flight Dynamics of an Aeroshell Using an Attached Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator

An aeroelastic analysis of the behavior of an entry vehicle utilizing an attached inflatable aerodynamic decelerator during supersonic flight is presented. The analysis consists of a planar, four degree of freedom simulation. The aeroshell and the IAD are assumed to be separate, rigid bodies connected with a spring-damper at an interface point constraining the relative motion of the two bodies. Aerodynamic forces and moments are modeled using modified Newtonian aerodynamics. The analysis includes the contribution of static aerodynamic forces and moments as well as pitch damping. Two cases are considered in the analysis: constant velocity flight and planar free flight. For the constant velocity and free flight cases with neutral pitch damping, configurations with highly-stiff interfaces exhibit statically stable but dynamically unstable aeroshell angle of attack. Moderately stiff interfaces exhibit static and dynamic stability of aeroshell angle of attack due to damping induced by the pitch angle rate lag between the aeroshell and IAD. For the free-flight case, low values of both the interface stiffness and damping cause divergence of the aeroshell angle of attack due to the offset of the IAD drag force with respect to the aeroshell center of mass. The presence of dynamic aerodynamic moments was found to influence the stability characteristics of the vehicle. The effect of gravity on the aeroshell angle of attack stability characteristics was determined to be negligible for the cases investigated.

Cruz, Juan R.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Aeroelastic Computations of a Compressor Stage Using the Harmonic Balance Method

The aeroelastic characteristics of a compressor stage were analyzed using a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) solver that uses the harmonic balance method to solve the governing equations. The three dimensional solver models the unsteady flow field due to blade vibration using the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The formulation enables the study of the effect of blade row interaction through the inclusion of coupling modes between blade rows. It also enables the study of nonlinear effects of high amplitude blade vibration by the inclusion of higher harmonics of the fundamental blade vibration frequency. In the present work, the solver is applied to study in detail the aeroelastic characteristics of a transonic compressor stage. Various parameters were included in the study: number of coupling modes, blade row axial spacing, and operating speeds. Only the first vibration mode is considered with amplitude of oscillation in the linear range. Both aeroelastic stability (flutter) of rotor blade and unsteady loading on the stator are calculated. The study showed that for the stage considered, the rotor aerodynamic damping is not influenced by the presence of the stator even when the axial spacing is reduced by nearly 25 percent. However, the study showed that blade row interaction effects become important for the unsteady loading on the stator when the axial spacing is reduced by the same amount.

Reddy, T. S. R.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Modeling and Analysis of Wind Turbine Wake Vortex Evolution Due to Time-Constant Spatial Variations in Atmospheric Flow

Modern utility-scale wind turbines are evolving toward larger, lighter, and more flexible designs to meet the growing demand for renewable energy while minimizing logistical costs. However, these advancements in lightweight design result in heightened aeroelastic sensitivity, leading to complex interactions which affect the rotor’s capacity to withstand aerodynamic loading and the cascading effects that manifest in the wake’s vortex-structure evolution under variable atmospheric conditions. In this paper, we analyze the influence of stream-wise fluctuating atmospheric flow conditions on wind turbines with large, flexible rotors through simulations of the National Rotor Testbed (NRT) turbine, located at Sandia National Labs’ Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) facility in Lubbock, Texas. The Common Ordinary Differential Equation Framework (CODEF) modeling suite is used to simulate wind turbine aeroelastic oscillatory behavior and wind farm vortex–wake interactions for a range of conditions with spatially variant atmospheric flow. CODEF solutions for turbine operation in wind conditions featuring only one parameter fluctuation are compared to wind conditions with several wind parameter variations in combination. By isolating individual inflow variations and comparing them to multi-parameter scenarios, we determine the contributions of each atmospheric factor to rotor dynamics, wake evolution, and downstream wind farm interactions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of spatial variations in atmospheric flow on the topological evolution of wind turbine vortex wakes, which constitutes a gap in the current understanding of wind turbine wake dynamics. The insights gained from this study are particularly valuable for the development of wind farm control strategies aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of wake interactions, enhancing energy capture, and improving the overall stability of wind farm operations. With these insights, we aim to contribute to the development of modeling and simulation tools to optimize utility-scale wind power plants operating in diverse atmospheric environments.

Farrell, Alayna (ORCID:000000023555720X)↗

NASA NTRS1990

An overview of selected NASP aeroelastic studies at the NASA Langley Research Center

Following an initial discussion of the NASP flight environment, the results of recent aeroelastic testing of NASP-type highly swept delta-wing models in Langley's Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) are summarized. Subsonic and transonic flutter characteristics of a variety of these models are described, and several analytical codes used to predict flutter of these models are evaluated. These codes generally provide good, but conservative predictions of subsonic and transonic flutter. Also, test results are presented on a nonlinear transonic phenomena known as aileron buzz which occurred in the wind tunnel on highly swept delta wings with full-span ailerons. An analytical procedure which assesses the effects of hypersonic heating on aeroelastic instabilities (aerothermoelasticity) is also described. This procedure accurately predicted flutter of a heated aluminum wing on which experimental data exists. Results are presented on the application of this method to calculate the flutter characteristics of a fine-element model of a generic NASP configuration. Finally, it is demonstrated analytically that active controls can be employed to improve the aeroelastic stability and ride quality of a generic NASP vehicle flying at hypersonic speeds.

Spain, Charles V.↗

NASA NTRS2023

Structural Design and Aeromechanical Analysis of Unconventional Blades for Future Mars Rotorcraft

The structural design for rotor blades with thin, unconventional airfoils for Earth-based testing is obtained using three-Dimensional (3D) aeromechanical analysis in support of the NASA ROAMX project. The outer mold line was provided by NASA, but the internal structural design was developed at the University of Maryland and is presented here along with a thorough aeromechanical analysis. The main objectives are to verify the structural integrity of the design and understand the unique aeroelastic behavior of the non-conventional airfoils designed for low-Reynolds number and high subsonic Mach number. Four different blade models are considered, with the pitch axis varied from quarter-chord to mid-chord to determine the effect of C.G. offset on natural frequencies, blade deformations, root loads, and 3D stresses. First, torsional stability is calculated for each of the designs – especially important due to the low Lock number on Mars. All four blade designs are studied under rotation in vacuum, and significant reductions in root loads and 3D stresses are achieved by moving the pitch axis closer to mid-chord to reduce the C.G. offset. Based on the vacuum analysis, the blade design with the pitch axis at 40% chord is selected for aeromechanical analysis. The blade control load, airloads, deformations, and 3D stresses are studied for steady hover. Dynamic control load and dynamic 3D stresses are studied for unsteady hover achieved using cyclic. Significant elastic twist is observed due to the trapeze effect and propeller moment, affecting the spanwise distribution of aerodynamic loads on the blades. The dynamic control load is found to increase significantly due to inertial coupling from the C.G. offset. The dynamic stresses also increase, although still have factors of safety greater than two for both tensile and compressive stress.

Structural Design↗