Aeroelastic response induced by free play, Part 1: Theory

A computational code has been developed for aeroelastic analysis. The structural bending and torsional stiffness for an all-movable horizontal tail are based upon the experimental data published in Wright Air Development Center technical report 54-53 (Niles, R. H., and Spielberg, I. N., "Subsonic Flutter Tests of An Unswept All-Movable Horizontal Tail," Wright Air Development Center TR-54-53, March 1954.).Alinear three-dimensional time domain vortex lattice aerodynamic model is used to study the flutter and also nonlinear limit-cycle oscillations induced by a free-play gap in the actuating mechanism at the root of the tail as well as the effects of the nominal angle of attack on limit-cycle oscillation response. It is found that the angle of attack significantly affects the limit-cycle oscillation behavior and if sufficiently large may suppress the limit-cycle oscillation. The computed flutter results are compared with the experimental data with good quantitative agreement between theory and experiment for flutter in this paper, Part 1, and for limit-cycle oscillation in Part 2 (Tang, D., and Dowell, E. H., "Aeroelastic Response Induced by Free Play, Part 2: Theoretical/Experimental Correlation Analysis," AIAA Journal, Vol. 49, No. 11, 2011, pp. 2543-2554). Copyright © 2011 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.

Duke Scholars

Author Earl H. Dowell Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materia ...