Transonic limit cycle oscillation analysis using reduced order aerodynamic models
Limit cycle oscillations have been observed in flight operations of modern aircraft, wind tunnel experiments and mathematical models. Both fluid and structural nonlinearities are thought to contribute to these phenomena. With recent advances in reduced order aerodynamic modeling, it is now feasible to analyze limit cycle oscillations that may occur in transonic flow including the effects of structural and fluid nonlinearities. In this paper an airfoil with control surface freeplay (a common structural nonlinearity) is used to investigate transonic flutter and limit cycle oscillations. The reduced order aerodynamic model used in this paper assumes the shock motion is small and in proportion to the structural motions. © 2001 by Earl H. Dowell, Jeffrey P. Thomas, and Kenneth C. Hall.