A structural dynamics model of a multi-segmented folding wing: Theory and experiment
This paper presents a general structural dynamics model based on beam theory that predicts the natural frequencies of a folding wing with an arbitrary number of wing segments. The structural model is derived from a modal analysis using work-energy principles - the energy expressions and constraint equations are derived from a kinematics analysis, and the equations of motion are derived using Lagrange's equations with Lagrange multipliers. The theoretical results are compared to experimental data for three different configurations: a 2-segment model, a 3-segment model, and a 4-segment model. The theoretical model accurately predicts the general behavior of natural frequencies versus fold angle for all three configurations, and the computed values are within 10% of the measured values for the majority of the modes. Copyright © 2011 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.