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At least 145 records · Page 8

Static aeroelastic analysis of a three-dimensional oblique wing

A capability to perform static aeroelastic analyses of an oblique wing at arbitrary skew positions was developed based on the framework of the MSC/NASTRAN static aeroelastic analysis. By means of DMAP alterations, a portion of the subsonic static aeroelastic analysis scheme was modified to insert an aerodynamic influence coefficient matrix created externally by the NASA-Ames aerodynamic panel codes. The modified scheme can cover the subsonic as well as the supersonic range for both symmetric and asymmetric configurations. Static aeroelastic responses of the oblique wing are studied at two skew angles and, in particular, the capability to calculate 3D camber effects on the aerodynamic properties of the wing is investigated. Various aerodynamic coefficients of the rigid oblique wing are computed for two Mach numbers, 0.7 and 1.4, and the angle of attack is varied from -5 through 15 deg. Also, the wing flexibility effects on the aerodynamic coefficients and the displacement are examined at a Mach number of 0.7 for a 45-deg swept wing.

Lee, I.↗

Investigation of the aeroelastic stability of the AFW wind-tunnel model using CAP-TSD

The Computational Aeroelasticity Program - Transonic Small Disturbance (CAP-TSD) code, developed at the NASA Langley Research Center, is applied to the Active Flexible Wing (AFW) wind tunnel model for prediction of the model's transonic aeroelastic behavior. A semi-span computational model is used for evaluation of symmetric motions and a full span model is used for evaluation of antisymmetric motions. Static aeroelastic solutions using CAP-TSD are computed. Dynamic (flutter) analyses are then performed as perturbations about the static aeroelastic deformations and presented as flutter boundaries in terms of Mach number and dynamic pressure. Flutter boundaries that take into account modal refinements, vorticity and entropy corrections, antisymmetric motions and sensitivity to the modeling of the wing tip ballast stores are also presented and compared with experimental flutter results.

Silva, Walter A.↗

Investigation of the aeroelastic stability of the AFW wind-tunnel model using CAP-TSD

The Computational Aeroelasticity Program - Transonic Small Disturbance (CAP-TSD) code is applied to the Active Flexible Wing (AFW) wind tunnel model for prediction of the model's transonic aeroelastic behavior. A semi-span computational model is used for evaluation of symmetric motions and a full span model is used for evaluation of antisymmetric motions. Static aeroelastic solutions using CAP-TSD are computed. Dynamic flutter analyses are then performed as perturbations about the static aeroelastic deformations and presented as flutter boundaries in terms of Mach number and dynamic pressure. Flutter boundaries that take into account modal refinements, vorticity, and entropy corrections, antisymmetric motions and sensitivity to the modeling of the wing tip ballast stores are also presented and compared with experimental flutter results.

Silva, Walter A.↗

Aeroelastic stability analyses of two counter rotating propfan designs for a cruise missile model

A modal aeroelastic analysis combining structural and aerodynamic models is applied to counterrotating propfans to evaluate their structural integrity for wind-tunnel testing. The aeroelastic analysis code is an extension of the 2D analysis code called the Aeroelastic Stability and Response of Propulsion Systems. Rotational speed and freestream Mach number are the parameters for calculating the stability of the two blade designs with a modal method combining a finite-element structural model with 2D steady and unsteady cascade aerodynamic models. The model demonstrates convergence to the least stable aeroelastic mode, describes the effects of a nonuniform inflow, and permits the modification of geometry and rotation. The analysis shows that the propfan designs are suitable for the wind-tunnel test and confirms that the propfans should be flutter-free under the range of conditions of the testing.

Mahajan, Aparajit J.↗

Further investigations of the aeroelastic behavior of the AFW wind-tunnel model using transonic small disturbance theory

The CAP-TSD (Computational Aeroelasticity Program - Transonic Small Disturbance) code, developed at the NASA Langley Research Center, is applied to the Active Flexible Wing wind-tunnel model for prediction of transonic aeroelastic behavior. A semi-span computational model is used for evaluation of symmetric motions, and a full-span model is used for evaluation of antisymmetric motions. Static aeroelastic solutions using CAP-TSD are computed. Dynamic (flutter) analyses then are performed as perturbations about the static aeroelastic deformations and presented as flutter boundaries in terms of Mach number and dynamic pressure. Flutter boundaries that take into account modal refinements, vorticity and entropy corrections, antisymmetric motions and sensitivity to the modeling of the wing tip ballast stores also are presented and compared with experimental flutter results.

Silva, Walter A.↗

An overview of aeroelasticity studies for the National Aerospace Plane

The National Aero-Space Plane (NASP), or X-30, is a single-stage-to-orbit vehicle that is designed to takeoff and land on conventional runways. Research in aeroelasticity was conducted by NASA and the Wright Laboratory to support the design of a flight vehicle by the national contractor team. This research includes the development of new computational codes for predicting unsteady aerodynamic pressures. In addition, studies were conducted to determine the aerodynamic heating effects on vehicle aeroelasticity and to determine the effects of fuselage flexibility on the stability of the control systems. It also includes the testing of scale models to better understand the aeroelastic behavior of the X-30 and to obtain data for code validation and correlation. This paper presents an overview of the aeroelastic research which has been conducted to support the airframe design.

Ricketts, Rodney H.↗

Development of a structural optimization capability for the aeroelastic tailoring of composite rotor blades with straight and swept tips

This paper describes the development of a new structural optimization capability aimed at the aeroelastic tailoring of composite rotor blades with straight and swept tips. The primary objective is to reduce vibration levels in forward flight without diminishing the aeroelastic stability margins of the blade. In the course of this research activity a number of complicated tasks have been addressed: (1) development of a new, aeroelastic stability and response analysis; (2) formulation of a new comprehensive sensitive analysis, which facilitates the generation of the appropriate approximations for the objective and the constraints; (3) physical understanding of the new model and, in particular, determination of its potential for aeroelastic tailoring, and (4) combination of the newly developed analysis capability, the sensitivity derivatives and the optimizer into a comprehensive optimization capability. The first three tasks have been completed and the fourth task is in progress.

Friedmann, P. P.↗

An overview of aeroelasticity studies for the National Aero-Space Plane

The National Aero-Space Plane (NASP), or X-30, is a single-stage-to-orbit vehicle that is designed to takeoff and land on conventional runways. Research in aeroelasticity was conducted by the NASA and the Wright Laboratory to support the design of a flight vehicle by the national contractor team. This research includes the development of new computational codes for predicting unsteady aerodynamic pressures. In addition, studies were conducted to determine the aerodynamic heating effects on vehicle aeroelasticity and to determine the effects of fuselage flexibility on the stability of the control systems. It also includes the testing of scale models to better understand the aeroelastic behavior of the X-30 and to obtain data for code validation and correlation. This paper presents an overview of the aeroelastic research which has been conducted to support the airframe design.

Ricketts, Rodney H.↗

Research in unsteady aerodynamics and computational aeroelasticity at the NASA Langley Research Center

This paper presents recent results in the unsteady aerodynamics and computational aeroelasticity research programs at the NASA Langley Research Center. These programs include development of two types of computational methods: methods that use structured computational meshes and those that use unstructured meshes. Results show that an aeroelastic analysis method that uses unsteady transonic small disturbance (TSD) potential aerodynamics and structured, Cartesian meshes is capable of accurate analysis of complex aircraft configurations. The paper describes recent enhancements to the TSD method that allow analysis of vehicles with swept, flexible vertical surfaces and flexible fuselages and presents selected results that verify the accuracy of the new capabilities. Modifications to a structured-mesh Euler/Navier-Stokes method to allow aeroelastic analysis are described, and a wing flutter analysis using the resulting method is presented. Advantages of using unstructured meshes for the analysis of complex configurations are discussed. The paper presents development of unstructured-mesh Euler/Navier-Stokes methods for unsteady aerodynamics and aeroelastic analysis. Spatial and temporal adaption methods on unstructured meshes are described, and selected results are presented.

Whitlow, Woodrow, Jr.↗

Analysis of aeroelastic and resonance responses of a wind tunnel model support system

Vibrations of the National Transonic Facility model support system were analyzed using CAP-TSD (Computational Aeroelasticity Program-Transonic Small Disturbance), a three-dimensional transonic small disturbance potential code designed for aeroelastic analysis of complex configurations. The model support system was represented as a tunnel-spanning flexible wing whose structural properties were obtained from measured responses. Aeroelastic transients were calculated, assuming no structural damping, and analyzed to obtain modal stability characteristics. The results showed that there is a tendency toward a hump mode instability in one of the modes and that there are other weakly damped or unstable modes. The close proximity of the solid wind-tunnel diffuser side walls to the model support system was shown to have adverse effects on its aeroelastic stability characteristics. When the effects of the wind-tunnel walls were modeled, the analyses indicated the presence of wind-tunnel resonance modes which were not present when free-air boundary conditions were used.

Whitlow, Woodrow, Jr.↗

Aeroelastic modeling of composite rotor blades with straight and swept tips

This paper presents an analytical study of the aeroelastic behavior of composite rotor blades with straight and swept tips. The blade is modeled by beam type finite elements. A single finite element is used to model the swept tip. The nonlinear equations of motion for the FEM are derived using Hamilton's principle and based on a moderate deflection theory and accounts for: arbitrary cross-sectional shape, pretwist, generally anisotropic material behavior, transverse shears and out-of-plane warping. Numerical results illustrating the effects of tip sweep, anhedral and composite ply orientation on blade aeroelastic behavior are presented. It is shown that composite ply orientation has a substantial effect on blade stability. At low thrust conditions, certain ply orientations can cause instability in the lag mode. The flap-torsion coupling associated with tip sweep can also induce aeroelastic instability in the blade. This instability can be removed by appropriate ply orientation in the composite construction. These results illustrate the inherent potential for aeroelastic tailoring present in composite rotor blades with swept tips, which still remains to be exploited in the design process.

Yuan, Kuo-An↗

Rotary-wing aeroelasticity with application to VTOL vehicles

A concise assessment is presented of the state of the art in the field of rotary-wing aeroelasticity (RWE). The basic ingredients of RWE are reviewed, including structural modeling, unsteady aerodynamic modeling, formulation of the equations of motion, and solution methods. Results illustrating these methods are presented for isolated blades and coupled rotor-fuselage problems. The application of active controls to suppress aeromechanical and aeroelastic instabilities and to reduce vibration in rotorcraft is discussed. Structural optimization with aeroelastic constraints, gust response analysis of helicopters, and aeroelastic problems in special VTOL vehicles are briefly examined.

Friedmann, Peretz P.↗

Aeroelasticity and structural optimization of composite helicopter rotor blades with swept tips

This report describes the development of an aeroelastic analysis capability for composite helicopter rotor blades with straight and swept tips, and its application to the simulation of helicopter vibration reduction through structural optimization. A new aeroelastic model is developed in this study which is suitable for composite rotor blades with swept tips in hover and in forward flight. The hingeless blade is modeled by beam type finite elements. A single finite element is used to model the swept tip. Arbitrary cross-sectional shape, generally anisotropic material behavior, transverse shears and out-of-plane warping are included in the blade model. The nonlinear equations of motion, derived using Hamilton's principle, are based on a moderate deflection theory. Composite blade cross-sectbnal properties are calculated by a separate linear, two-dimensional cross section analysis. The aerodynamic loads are obtained from quasi-steady, incompressible aerodynamics, based on an implicit formulation. The trim and steady state blade aeroelastic response are solved in a fully coupled manner. In forward flight, where the blade equations of motion are periodic, the coupled trim-aeroelastic response solution is obtained from the harmonic balance method. Subsequently, the periodic system is linearized about the steady state response, and its stability is determined from Floquet theory.

Yuan, K. A.↗

Wing-Body Aeroelasticity Using Finite-Difference Fluid/Finite-Element Structural Equations on Parallel Computers

This paper presents a procedure for computing the aeroelasticity of wing-body configurations on multiple-instruction, multiple-data (MIMD) parallel computers. In this procedure, fluids are modeled using Euler equations discretized by a finite difference method, and structures are modeled using finite element equations. The procedure is designed in such a way that each discipline can be developed and maintained independently by using a domain decomposition approach. A parallel integration scheme is used to compute aeroelastic responses by solving the coupled fluid and structural equations concurrently while keeping modularity of each discipline. The present procedure is validated by computing the aeroelastic response of a wing and comparing with experiment. Aeroelastic computations are illustrated for a High Speed Civil Transport type wing-body configuration.

Byun, Chansup↗

Static aeroelastic analysis of wings using Euler/Navier-Stokes equations coupled with improved wing-box finite element structures

Strong interactions between flow about an aircraft wing and the wing structure can result in aeroelastic phenomena which significantly impact aircraft performance. Time-accurate methods for solving the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations have matured to the point where reliable results can be obtained with reasonable computational costs for complex non-linear flows with shock waves, vortices and separations. The ability to combine such a flow solver with a general finite element structural model is key to an aeroelastic analysis in these flows. Earlier work involved time-accurate integration of modal structural models based on plate elements. A finite element model was developed to handle three-dimensional wing boxes, and incorporated into the flow solver without the need for modal analysis. Static condensation is performed on the structural model to reduce the structural degrees of freedom for the aeroelastic analysis. Direct incorporation of the finite element wing-box structural model with the flow solver requires finding adequate methods for transferring aerodynamic pressures to the structural grid and returning deflections to the aerodynamic grid. Several schemes were explored for handling the grid-to-grid transfer of information. The complex, built-up nature of the wing-box complicated this transfer. Aeroelastic calculations for a sample wing in transonic flow comparing various simple transfer schemes are presented and discussed.

Guruswamy, Guru P.↗

User's Guide for MSAP2D: A Program for Unsteady Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic (Flutter and Forced Response) Analysis of Multistage Compressors and Turbines

This guide describes the input data required for using MSAP2D (Multi Stage Aeroelastic analysis Program - Two Dimensional) computer code. MSAP2D can be used for steady, unsteady aerodynamic, and aeroelastic (flutter and forced response) analysis of bladed disks arranged in multiple blade rows such as those found in compressors, turbines, counter rotating propellers or propfans. The code can also be run for single blade row. MSAP2D code is an extension of the original NPHASE code for multiblade row aerodynamic and aeroelastic analysis. Euler equations are used to obtain aerodynamic forces. The structural dynamic equations are written for a rigid typical section undergoing pitching (torsion) and plunging (bending) motion. The aeroelastic equations are solved in time domain. For single blade row analysis, frequency domain analysis is also provided to obtain unsteady aerodynamic coefficients required in an eigen analysis for flutter. In this manual, sample input and output are provided for a single blade row example, two blade row example with equal and unequal number of blades in the blade rows.

Reddy, T. S. R.↗

Wing-Body Aeroelasticity on Parallel Computers

This article presents a procedure for computing the aeroelasticity of wing-body configurations on multiple-instruction, multiple-data parallel computers. In this procedure, fluids are modeled using Euler equations discretized by a finite difference method, and structures are modeled using finite element equations. The procedure is designed in such a way that each discipline can be developed and maintained independently by using a domain decomposition approach. A parallel integration scheme is used to compute aeroelastic responses by solving the coupled fluid and structural equations concurrently while keeping modularity of each discipline. The present procedure is validated by computing the aeroelastic response of a wing and comparing with experiment. Aeroelastic computations are illustrated for a high speed civil transport type wing-body configuration.

Guruswamy, Guru P.↗

Application of the ENS3DAE Euler/Navier-Stokes Aeroelastic method

This paper discusses recent applications of the ENS3DAE computational aeroelasticity method. In particular, it describes aeroelastic and unsteady aerodynamics calculations performed on wings with trailing edge control surfaces. These simulations include the investigation of control reversal for a structurally flexible wing with a deflected control surface, and a static and dynamic analysis of a rigid wing with an oscillating control surface. The two sets of calculations were performed independently on different wings using different grid topologies. The control reversal simulation represents an inviscid Euler static aeroelastic analysis of a thin wing with a rectangular planform. The geometry of this wing makes it suitable for computations using more approximate, inviscid aerodynamics methods. Thus, the results of the present Euler computations are compared with numerical data generated by a validated computational aeroelasticity code which uses a simpler aerodynamic formulation. The second illustrated case involves the simulation of a significantly more complex flowfield and the static and dynamic analyses of this geometry were performed using the viscous Navier-Stokes equation option in ENS3DAE. Results of both the steady and unsteady calculations on this wing are compared with existing experimental data.

Schuster, David M.↗