Flutter of Very Flexible Swept Pazy Wings

What is it about?

The study investigates the aeroelastic behavior of very flexible, swept-back wings through computational analyses and comparisons with straight-wing models. Using the Pazy wing as a benchmark, the study evaluates how large deformations and varying sweep angles affect the natural frequencies, mode shapes, flutter characteristics, and static aeroelastic response. The Modal Rotation Method (MRM) and Nastran software are used to conduct static, free-vibration, and flutter analyses under various airspeeds and angles of attack. The findings show how bending-torsion coupling in swept wings, which exists even in their undeformed states, affects the stability and static behavior compared to straight wings. In swept wings, the effects of wing sweep and wing deformation can be mostly considered independently. Wing sweep effects include the stabilization of the hump mode and a smaller decrease of the flutter speed with aerodynamic loading. Wing deformation results in a decrease of the flutter onset speed, almost independent of the sweep angle. Static aeroelastic analyses indicate that the strip aerodynamic model, which assumes undeformed lift-line slopes, may not be adequate for accurate swept-wing deformation predictions. The study highlights the need for nonlinear structural modeling and high-fidelity aerodynamic modeling in flexible swept wings and suggests further experimental validation for improved aeroelastic performance predictions.

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