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Results for “Aeroelastic Stability Analysis”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Effect of chordwise forces and deformations and deformations due to steady lift on wing flutter

This investigation explores the effects of chordwise forces and deformations and steady-state deformation due to lift on the static and dynamic aeroelastic stability of a uniform cantilever wing. Results of this analysis are believed to have practical applications for high-performance sailplanes and certain RPV's. The airfoil cross section is assumed to be symmetric and camber bending is neglected. Motions in vertical bending, fore-and-aft bending, and torsion are considered. A differential equation model is developed, which included the nonlinear elastic bending-torsion coupling that accompanies even moderate deflections. A linearized expansion in small time-dependent deflections is made about a steady flight condition. The stability determinant of the linearized system then contains coefficients that depend on steady displacements. Loads derived from two-dimensional incompressible aerodynamic theory are used to obtain the majority of the results, but cases using three-dimensional subsonic compressible theory are also studied. The stability analysis is carried out in terms of the dynamically uncoupled natural modes of vibration of the uniform cantilever.

Boyd, W. N.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Aeroelastic response and stability of tiltrotors with elastically-coupled composite rotor blades

There is a potential for improving the performance and aeroelastic stability of tiltrotors through the use of elastically-coupled composite rotor blades. To study the characteristics of tiltrotors with these types of rotor blades it is necessary to formulate a new analysis which has the capabilities of modeling both a tiltrotor configuration and an anisotropic rotor blade. Background for these formulations is established in two preliminary investigations. In the first, the influence of several system design parameters on tiltrotor aeroelastic stability is examined for the high-speed axial flight mode using a newly-developed rigid-blade analysis with an elastic wing finite element model. The second preliminary investigation addresses the accuracy of using a one-dimensional beam analysis to predict frequencies of elastically-coupled highly-twisted rotor blades. Important aspects of the new aeroelastic formulations are the inclusion of a large steady pylon angle which controls tilt of the rotor system with respect to the airflow, the inclusion of elastic pitch-lag coupling terms related to rotor precone, the inclusion of hub-related degrees of freedom which enable modeling of a gimballed rotor system and engine drive-train dynamics, and additional elastic coupling terms which enable modeling of the anisotropic features for both the rotor blades and the tiltrotor wing. Accuracy of the new tiltrotor analysis is demonstrated by a comparison of the results produced for a baseline case with analytical and experimental results reported in the open literature. Two investigations of elastically tailored blades on a baseline tiltrotor are then conducted. One investigation shows that elastic bending-twist coupling of the rotor blade is a very effective means for increasing the flutter velocity of a tiltrotor, and the magnitude of coupling required does not have an adverse effect on performance or blade loads. The second investigation shows that passive blade twist control via elastic extension-twist coupling of the rotor blade has the capability of significantly improving tiltrotor aerodynamic performance. This concept, however, is shown to have, in general, a negative impact on stability characteristics.

Nixon, Mark W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Structural and aeroelastic analysis of the SR-7L propfan

A structural and aeroelastic analysis of a large scale advanced turboprop rotor blade is presented. This 8-blade rotor is designed to operate at Mach 0.8 at an altitude of 35,000 ft. The blades are highly swept and twisted and of spar/shell construction. Due to the complexity of the blade geometry and its high performance, it is subjected to much higher loads and tends to be much less stable than conventional blades. Four specific analyses were conducted: (1) steady deflection; (2) natural frequencies and mode shapes; (3) steady stresses; and (4) aeroelastic stability. State-of-the-art methods were used to analyze the blades including a large deflection, finite element structural analysis, and an aeroelastic analysis including interblade aerodynamic coupling (cascade effects). The study found the blade to be structurally sound and aeroelastically stable. However, it clearly indicated that advanced turboprop blades are much less robust than conventional blades and must be analyzed and fabricated much more carefully in order to assure that they are structurally sound and aeroelastically stable.

Hirschbein, Murray↗
DOE OSTI2026

ACDC (Automated Campbell Diagram Code) [SWR-26-042]

This application provides a web-based graphical user interface to generating Campbell Diagrams and visualizing mode shapes for OpenFAST turbine models. Determining the aeroelastic stability and dynamic characteristics of wind turbines is a critical step in turbine design and analysis. Historically, extracting natural frequencies and mode shapes from OpenFAST—the industry-standard whole-turbine simulation code—has been a fragmented and tedious process. It required manual model configuration, command-line linearization execution, and complex post-processing via proprietary scripts to handle rotating-frame dynamics. To address these workflow bottlenecks, we present the Automated Campbell Diagram Code (ACDC), an open-source graphical software tool developed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) under the DOE-funded Distributed Wind Aeroelastic Modeling (dWAM) project. ACDC streamlines the end-to-end linearization and stability analysis workflow into a single, intuitive cross-platform application. The software guides users through OpenFAST model configuration, definition of operating points, and the automated execution of steady-state trim and linearization simulations. Under the hood, ACDC automates the complex mathematical post-processing steps required for rotating systems, including Multi-Blade Coordinate (MBC) transformations, eigenanalysis, and advanced modal tracking utilizing the Modal Assurance Criterion (MAC) and spectral clustering. Finally, ACDC processes these results to automatically generate Campbell diagrams and features a robust 3D visualization engine to animate full-system mode shapes. By eliminating the reliance on external post-processing environments and manual data manipulation, ACDC significantly accelerates dynamic analysis and lowers the barrier to entry for wind energy researchers and engineers.

Summerville, Brent [National Laboratory of the Roc↗
NASA NTRS1981

Comparison of wind tunnel and theoretical aeroelastic predictions with flight measured airloads for the B-1 aircraft

An aeroelastic analysis of the B-1 aircraft was generated using the FLEXSTAB computer program. Relatively simple aerodynamic and structural models were employed. Theoretical wing and horizontal stabilizer airloads were compared to wind tunnel predictions and flight data measured during quasi-steady pitch maneuvers at Mach numbers of 0.85 and 1.2 with the wing in the 67.5 degree full aft sweep position. The basic objective was to evaluate the usefulness of the FLEXSTAB program for pre-flight airloads analysis of large flexible aircraft. Significant aeroelastic increments were noted between rigid and flexible vehicle results. FLEXSTAB predicted airloads for the outer wing panel were in good agreement with measured data for both rigid airloads and elastic increments. FLEXSTAB results for the horizontal stabilizer were useful for defining general aeroelastic trends, but absolute load levels were not well predicted due to theoretical limitations and difficulties encountered in modelling the complex B-1 configuration. Overall, the FLEXSTAB program is viewed as a useful integrated tool for static aeroelastic analysis in support of flight programs.

Sims, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Aeroelastic analysis of launch vehicles in transonic flight

A numerical study of the aeroelastic stability of launch vehicles in transonic flight is performed. The unsteady aerodynanic flowfield about the vehicle is simulated using the three dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the account for turbulent mixing done by a two-layer algebraic eddy viscosity model. The structural-dynamic formulation considers free-free flexural vibration of an elongated beam with variable properties and the equations are cast in modal form. The two sets of equations are integrated simultaneously in time, after a initial perturbation, to ascertain the aeroelastic stability of a given configuration. The method propossed is described in detail, and results that illustrate its application are presented.

Azevedo, Joao Luiz F.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Flutter analysis of a supersonic cascade in time domain using an ADI Euler solver

The aeroelastic stability of a two-dimensional cascade oscillating in supersonic axial flow is analyzed in the time domain. The aeroelastic model consists of a single degree of freedom typical section structural model for each blade of the cascade and an unsteady two-dimensional cascade aerodynamic model based on the Euler equations. The Euler equations are solved using a time accurate Alternating Direction Implicit (ADI) solution scheme. The aeroelastic equations are integrated in time. The effect of interblade phase angle is included in the aeroelastic analysis by an appropriate choice of initial and boundary conditions. Flutter predictions are obtained from the time response of a flat plate cascade in single degree of freedom pitching motion. The results correlate well with those obtained from a separate frequency domain flutter analysis for all values of interblade phase angles considered. Flutter results are then presented for cascades having airfoil sections representative of a supersonic throughflow fan. The validity of the time integration method for a cascade of airfoils at various interblade phase angles is demonstrated.

Reddy, T. S. R.↗
NASA NTRS2001

On-Line Mu Method for Robust Flutter Prediction in Expanding a Safe Flight Envelope for an Aircraft Model Under Flight Test

A structured singular value (mu) analysis method of computing flutter margins has robust stability of a linear aeroelastic model with uncertainty operators (Delta). Flight data is used to update the uncertainty operators to accurately account for errors in the computed model and the observed range of aircraft dynamics of the aircraft under test caused by time-varying aircraft parameters, nonlinearities, and flight anomalies, such as test nonrepeatability. This mu-based approach computes predict flutter margins that are worst case with respect to the modeling uncertainty for use in determining when the aircraft is approaching a flutter condition and defining an expanded safe flight envelope for the aircraft that is accepted with more confidence than traditional methods that do not update the analysis algorithm with flight data by introducing mu as a flutter margin parameter that presents several advantages over tracking damping trends as a measure of a tendency to instability from available flight data.

Lind, Richard C.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Some observations on four current subjects related to aeroelastic stability

After introductory comments on the literature and the purposes of this paper, a table is presented summarizing the author's views on some currently solved vs partially unsolved problems related to aeroelastic stability. The term 'solved' is used in the practical sense that engineers are able to cope confidently with that problem during the process of structural design. Selected entries in the table are reviewed, partially to motivate the topics in the rest of the paper. The 'four current subjects' are chosen both for timeliness and because they are among the ongoing interests of the Stanford group. The first involves the prediction of linearized unsteady aerodynamic loads due to arbitrary motions of streamlined shapes. Some contributions by Edwards are refined, which were motivated by the requirements of active control system design. The second subject is nonlinear unsteady aerodynamics for the transonic regime. After describing a few useful developments from locally-linear theory and computational fluid dynamics, there is suggested an empirical procedure for interim-analysis purposes. The third and fourth subjects concern recent discoveries regarding the aeroelastic stability of large-aspect-ratio wings and wind turbines. The former work is mainly that of Petre and Boyd. The latter includes some of the author's own preliminary discoveries about the performance and dynamics of vertical-axis machines.

Ashley, H.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Effect of modified aerodynamic strip theories on rotor blade aeroelastic stability

Various existing unsteady aerodynamic strip theories which have been developed in the past for both fixed and rotary wing aeroelastic analyses are modified in the paper so as to make them applicable to the coupled flap-lag-torsional aeroelastic problem of a rotor blade in hover. These corrections are primarily due to constant angle of attack, constant inflow and variable free stream velocity due to lead-lag motion. Next, the modified strip theories are incorporated in a coupled flap-lag-torsional aeroelastic analysis of the rotor blade in hover and the sensitivity of the aeroelastic stability boundaries to the aerodynamic assumptions is examined.

Friedmann, P.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Some trends in aircraft design: Structures

Trends and programs currently underway on the national scene to improve the structural interface in the aircraft design process are discussed. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration shares a partnership with the educational and industrial community in the development of the tools, the criteria, and the data base essential to produce high-performance and cost-effective vehicles. Several thrusts to build the technology in materials, structural concepts, analytical programs, and integrated design procedures essential for performing the trade-offs required to fashion competitive vehicles are presented. The application of advanced fibrous composites, improved methods for structural analysis, and continued attention to important peripheral problems of aeroelastic and thermal stability are among the topics considered.

Brooks, G. W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Recent trends in rotary-wing aeroelasticity

The purpose of this paper is to survey the principal developments which have occurred in the field of rotary-wing aeroelasticity during the past five-year period. This period has been one of considerable activity and approximately one hundred papers have been published on this topic. To facilitate this review the field has been divided into a number of areas in which concentrated research activity has taken place. The main areas in which recent research is reviewed are: (1) structural modeling; (2) aerodynamic modeling; (3) aeroelastic problem formulation using automated or computerized methods; (4) aeroelastic analyses in forward flight; (5) coupled rotor/fuselage analyses; (6) active controls and their application to aeroelastic response and stability; (7) application of structural optimization to vibration response; and (8) aeroelastic analysis and testing of special configurations. These areas are reviewed with different levels of detail and some useful observations regarding potentially rewarding areas of future research are made.

Friedmann, Peretz P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Recent trends in rotary-wing aeroelasticity

The purpose of this paper is to survey the principal developments which have occurred in the field of rotary-wing aeroelasticity during the past five year period. This period has been one of considerable activity and approximately one hundred papers have been published on this topic. To facilitate this review the field has been divided into a number of areas in which concentrated research activity has taken place. The main areas in which recent research is reviewed are: (1) structural modeling; (2) aerodynamic modeling; (3) aeroelastic problem formulation using automated or computerized methods; (4) aeroelastic analyses in forward flight; (5) coupled rotor/fuselage analyses; (6) active controls and their application to aeroelastic response and stability; (7) application of structural optimization to vibration reduction; and (8) aeroelastic analysis and testing of special configurations. These areas are reviewed with different levels of detail and some useful observations regarding potentially rewarding areas of future research are made.

Friedmann, Peretz P.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Analysis of stall flutter of a helicopter rotor blade.

A study of rotor blade aeroelastic stability was carried out, using an analytic model of a two-dimensional airfoil undergoing dynamic stall and on elastomechanical representation including flapping, flapwise bending and torsional degrees of freedom. Results for a hovering rotor demonstrated that the models used are capable of reproducing both classical and stall flutter. The minimum rotor speed for the occurrence of stall flutter in hover was found to be determined from coupling between torsion and flapping. Instabilities analogous to both classical and stall flutter were found to occur in forward flight. However, the large stall-related torsional oscillations which commonly limit aircraft forward speed appear to be the response to rapid changes in aerodynamic moment which accompany stall and unstall, rather than the result of an aeroelastic instability.

Crimi, P.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Analysis of stall flutter of a helicopter radar blade

A study of rotor blade aeroelastic stability was carried out, using an analytic model of a two-dimensional airfoil undergoing dynamic stall and an elastomechanical representation including flapping, flapwise bending and torsional degrees of freedom. Results for a hovering rotor demonstrated that the models used are capable of reproducing both classical and stall flutter. The minimum rotor speed for the occurrence of stall flutter in hover, was found to be determined from coupling between torsion and flapping. Instabilities analogous to both classical and stall flutter were found to occur in forward flight. However, the large stall-related torsional oscillations which commonly limit aircraft forward speed appear to be the response to rapid changes in aerodynamic moment which accompany stall and unstall, rather than the result of an aeroelastic instability. The severity of stall-related instabilities and response was found to depend to some extent on linear stability. Increasing linear stability lessens the susceptibility to stall flutter and reduced the magnitude of the torsional response to stall and unstall.

Crimi, P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Analytical aeroelastic stability considerations and conversion loads for an XV-15 tilt-rotor in a wind tunnel simulation

A rotorcraft analysis is conducted to assess tilt-rotor stability and conversion loads for the XV-15 rotor with metal blades within its specified test envelope. A 38-DOF flutter analysis based on the code by Johnson (1988) is developed to simulate a wind-tunnel test in which the rotor torque is constant and thereby study stability. The same analytical model provides the simulated loads including hub loads, blade loads, and oscillatory pitch-link loads with attention given to the nonuniform inflow through the proprotor in the presence of the wing. Tilt-rotor stability during the cruise mode is found to be sensitive to coupling effects in the control system stiffness, and a stability problem is identified in the XV-15 Advanced Technology Blades. The present analysis demonstrates that the tilt-rotor is stable within the specified test envelope of the NASA 40 x 80-ft wind tunnel.

Kottapalli, Sesi↗
NASA NTRS1986

Aerodynamic detuning analysis of an unstalled supersonic turbofan cascade

An approach to passive flutter control is aerodynamic detuning, defined as designed pasage-to-passage differences in the unsteady aerodynamic flow field of a rotor blade row. Thus, aerodynamic detuning directly affects the fundamental driving mechanism for flutter. A model to demonstrate the enhanced supersonic aeroelastic stability associated with aerodynamic detuning is developed. The stability of an aerodynamicaly detuned cascade operating in a supersonic inlet flow field with a subsonic leading edge locus analyzed, with the aerodynamic detuning accomplished by means of nonuniform circumferential spacing of adjacent rotor blades. The unsteady aerodynamic forces and moments on the blading are defined in terms of influence coefficients in a manner that permits the stability of both a conventional uniformally spaced rotor configuration as well as the detuned nonuniform circumferentialy spaced rotor to be determined. With Verdon's uniformly spaced Cascade B as a baseline, this analysis is then utilized to demonstrate the potential enhanced aeroelastic stability associated with this particular type of aerodynamic detuning.

Hoyniak, D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Aerodynamic detuning analysis of an unstalled supersonic turbofan cascade

An approach to passive flutter control is aerodynamic detuning, defined as designed passage-to-passage differences in the unsteady aerodynamic flow field of a rotor blade row. Thus, aerodynamic detuning directly affects the fundamental driving mechanism for flutter. A model to demonstrate the enhanced supersonic aeroelastic stability associated with aerodynamic detuning is developed. The stability of an aerodynamically detuned cascade operating in a supersonic inlet flow field with a subsonic leading edge locus is analyzed, with the aerodynamic detuning accomplished by means of nonuniform circumferential spacing of adjacent rotor blades. The unsteady aerodynamic forces and moments on the blading are defined in terms of influence coefficients in a manner that permits the stability of both a conventional uniformally spaced rotor configuration as well as the detuned nonuniform circumferentially spaced rotor to be determined. With Verdon's uniformly spaced Cascade B as a baseline, this analysis is then utilized to demonstrate the potential enhanced aeroelastic stability associated with this particular type of aerodynamic detuning.

Hoyniak, D.↗