Flutter analyses and tests are the major items in flight certification efforts required when a new air vehicle is developed or when a new external store is developed for an existing aircraft. The flight envelope of a new aircraft as well as the influence of aircraft modifications on an existing flight envelope can be safely determined only by flutter tests. In such tests, the aircraft is instrumented by accelerometers and exciters. Vibrations of the aircraft at specific dynamic pressures are measured and transmitted to a ground station via telemetry systems during flutter tests. These vibration data are analyzed online by using a flutter test software with various methods implemented in order to predict the safety margin with respect to flutter. Tests are performed at incrementally increasing dynamic pressures and safety regions of the flight envelope are determined step by step. Since flutter is a very destructive instability, tests are performed without getting too close to the flutter speed and estimations are performed by extrapolation. In this study, pretest analyses and flutter prediction methods that can be used in various flight conditions are investigated. Existing methods are improved and their applications are demonstrated with experiments. A novel method to predict limit cycle oscillations that are encountered in some modern fighter aircraft is developed. The prediction method developed in this study can effectively be used in cases where the nonlinearities in aircraft dynamics and air flow reduce the applicability of the classical prediction methods. Some further methods to reduce the adverse effects of these nonlinearities on the predictions are also developed.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 18-21, 2004 / Town & Country Resort, San Diego, California / Flight Test instrumentation control units have traditionally been low-technology units with mechanical switches, readouts, and perhaps an RS232 interface. As the complexity of Flight Test Instrumentation systems and operational requirements increase, and as cockpit space becomes scarce, these control units are no longer sufficient. These control units need to provide capabilities commensurate with the complexity of the instrumentation systems they control. This paper describes an instrumentation control system that uses a Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) Flight Test Instrumentation designed Instrumentation Control Unit (ICU). The ICU communicates with the avionics system to allow pilot control via existing aircraft displays. By taking advantage of a relatively simple protocol to interface with the avionics system, the substantial cost of reprogramming the avionics software is avoided, and software control is shifted to the Flight Test group, thus allowing a tremendous increase in system flexibility at reasonable cost. Functions of the unit can be changed relatively quickly and inexpensively. This promises a wide range of future applications, such as in-flight monitoring of flight-critical instrumentation parameters by the pilot, control of the instrumentation system via uplink (with pilot override), and real-time in-flight selection of telemetered data streams and parameters. This paper describes the baseline instrumentation control system and requirements to be used on the EA-18G Flight Test Program, plus additional future capabilities.

In order to eliminate or reduce vibration problems inturbomachines without a high increase in the complexity of thevibratory behavior, the adjacent airfoils around the wheel areoften mechanically connected together with lacing wires, tip orpart-span shrouds in a number of identical sectors. Although anaerodynamic stabilizing effect of tying airfoils together ingroups on the whole cascade is indicated by numerical andexperimental studies, for some operating conditions suchsectored vane cascade can still remain unstable. The goal of the present work is to investigate thepossibilities of a sectored vane cascade to undergoself-excited vibrations or flutter. The presented method forpredicting the aerodynamic response of a sectored vane cascadeis based on the aerodynamic work influence coefficientrepresentation of freestanding blade cascade. The sectored vaneanalysis assumes that the vibration frequency is the same forall blades in the sectored vane, while the vibration amplitudesand mode shapes can be different for each individual blade inthe sector. Additionally, the vibration frequency as well asthe amplitudes and mode shapes are supposed to be known. The aerodynamic analysis of freestanding blade cascade isperformed with twodimensional inviscid linearized flow model.As far as feasible the study is supported by non-linear flowmodel analysis as well as by performing comparisons againstavailable experimental data in order to minimize theuncertainties of the numerical modeling on the physicalconclusions of the study. As has been shown for the freestanding low-pressure turbineblade, the blade mode shape gives an important contributioninto the aerodynamic stability of the cascade. During thepreliminary design, it has been recommended to take intoaccount the mode shape as well rather than only reducedfrequency. In the present work further investigation using foursignificantly different turbine geometries makes these findingsmore general, independent from the low-pressure turbine bladegeometry. The investigation also continues towards a sectoredvane cascade. A parametrical analysis summarizing the effect ofthe reduced frequency and real sector mode shape is carried outfor a low-pressure sectored vane cascade for differentvibration amplitude distributions between the airfoils in thesector as well as different numbers of the airfoils in thesector. Critical (towards flutter) reduced frequency maps areprovided for torsion- and bending-dominated sectored vane modeshapes. Utilizing such maps at the early design stages helps toimprove the aerodynamic stability of low-pressure sectoredvanes. A special emphasis in the present work is put on theimportance for the chosen unsteady inviscid flow model to bewell-posed during numerical calculations. The necessity for thecorrect simulation of the far-field boundary conditions indefining the stability margin of the blade rows isdemonstrated. Existing and new-developed boundary conditionsare described. It is shown that the result of numerical flowcalculations is dependent more on the quality of boundaryconditions, and less on the physical extension of thecomputational domain. Keywords: Turbomachinery, Aerodynamics,Unsteady CFD, Design, Flutter, Low-Pressure Turbine, Blade ModeShape, Critical Reduced Frequency, Sectored Vane Mode Shape,Vibration Amplitude Distribution, Far-field 2D Non-ReflectingBoundary Conditions. omain. Keywords:Turbomachinery, Aerodynamics, Unsteady CFD,Design, Flutter, Low-Pressure Turbine, Blade Mode Shape,Critical Reduced Frequency, Sectored Vane Mode Shape, VibrationAmplitude Distribution, Far-field 2D Non-Reflecting BoundaryConditions.

Fei, Fei. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-106). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

<p>In order to eliminate or reduce vibration problems inturbomachines without a high increase in the complexity of thevibratory behavior, the adjacent airfoils around the wheel areoften mechanically connected together with lacing wires, tip orpart-span shrouds in a number of identical sectors. Although anaerodynamic stabilizing effect of tying airfoils together ingroups on the whole cascade is indicated by numerical andexperimental studies, for some operating conditions suchsectored vane cascade can still remain unstable.</p><p>The goal of the present work is to investigate thepossibilities of a sectored vane cascade to undergoself-excited vibrations or flutter. The presented method forpredicting the aerodynamic response of a sectored vane cascadeis based on the aerodynamic work influence coefficientrepresentation of freestanding blade cascade. The sectored vaneanalysis assumes that the vibration frequency is the same forall blades in the sectored vane, while the vibration amplitudesand mode shapes can be different for each individual blade inthe sector. Additionally, the vibration frequency as well asthe amplitudes and mode shapes are supposed to be known.</p><p>The aerodynamic analysis of freestanding blade cascade isperformed with twodimensional inviscid linearized flow model.As far as feasible the study is supported by non-linear flowmodel analysis as well as by performing comparisons againstavailable experimental data in order to minimize theuncertainties of the numerical modeling on the physicalconclusions of the study.</p><p>As has been shown for the freestanding low-pressure turbineblade, the blade mode shape gives an important contributioninto the aerodynamic stability of the cascade. During thepreliminary design, it has been recommended to take intoaccount the mode shape as well rather than only reducedfrequency. In the present work further investigation using foursignificantly different turbine geometries makes these findingsmore general, independent from the low-pressure turbine bladegeometry. The investigation also continues towards a sectoredvane cascade. A parametrical analysis summarizing the effect ofthe reduced frequency and real sector mode shape is carried outfor a low-pressure sectored vane cascade for differentvibration amplitude distributions between the airfoils in thesector as well as different numbers of the airfoils in thesector. Critical (towards flutter) reduced frequency maps areprovided for torsion- and bending-dominated sectored vane modeshapes. Utilizing such maps at the early design stages helps toimprove the aerodynamic stability of low-pressure sectoredvanes.</p><p>A special emphasis in the present work is put on theimportance for the chosen unsteady inviscid flow model to bewell-posed during numerical calculations. The necessity for thecorrect simulation of the far-field boundary conditions indefining the stability margin of the blade rows isdemonstrated. Existing and new-developed boundary conditionsare described. It is shown that the result of numerical flowcalculations is dependent more on the quality of boundaryconditions, and less on the physical extension of thecomputational domain. Keywords: Turbomachinery, Aerodynamics,Unsteady CFD, Design, Flutter, Low-Pressure Turbine, Blade ModeShape, Critical Reduced Frequency, Sectored Vane Mode Shape,Vibration Amplitude Distribution, Far-field 2D Non-ReflectingBoundary Conditions. omain.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>Turbomachinery, Aerodynamics, Unsteady CFD,Design, Flutter, Low-Pressure Turbine, Blade Mode Shape,Critical Reduced Frequency, Sectored Vane Mode Shape, VibrationAmplitude Distribution, Far-field 2D Non-Reflecting BoundaryConditions.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2003. / Dissertation supervisor and advisor: E. Roberts Wood. Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-210). Also available online.

In this thesis we explore the relationship between aeroelastic flutter and multiparameter spectral theory. We first introduce the basic concept of the relationship between these two fields in abstract terms. Then we expand on this initial concept, using it to devise visualisation methods and a wide variety of solvers for flutter problems. We assess these solvers, applying them to real-life aeroelastic systems and measuring their performance. We then discuss and devise methods for improving these solvers. All our conclusions are supported by a variety of evidence from numerical experiments. Finally, we assess all of our methods, providing recommendations as to their use and future development. We do achieve several things in this thesis which have not been achieved before. Firstly, we solved a non-trivial flutter problem with a direct solver. The only direct solvers that have previously been presented are those that arise from classical flutter analysis, which applies only to very simple systems. Secondly, and as an extension of this first point, we solved a system with Theodorsen aerodynamics (approximated by a highly accurately) with a direct solver. This was achieved in an industrially competitive time (0.2s). This has never before been achieved. Thirdly, we solved an unstructured multiparameter eigenvalue problem. Unstructured problems have not been considered before, even in theoretical literature. This result is thus of significance both for multiparameter spectral theory and aeroelasticity. However, the single most important contribution of this thesis is the opening of a whole new field of study which stretches beyond aeroelasticity and into other industries: the treatment of instability problems using multiparameter methods. This field of research is wide and untrodden, and has the potential to change the way we analyse instability across many industries.

No description available.

Overhead transmission lines are prone to undergo large amplitude, low frequency vibrations when exposed to freezing rain and steady side winds. These vibrations are referred to as galloping. They involve a dominant vertical motion in addition to twisting and horizontal swaying. Field reports indicate that the majority of galloping cases are associated with lightly-iced lines with thin ice accretions. Previous studies have failed to explain this trend satisfactorily. The present thesis involves a series of wind tunnel experiments to understand the rotational effects in lightly-iced transmission line galloping. The work to restore and upgrade the wind tunnel used for the experiments are also reported. Aerodynamic loads are measured first on a stationary model of a short, representative section of a lightly-iced conductor. Subsequently, automated controls force the model to undergo rotational oscillations, and the aerodynamic loads measured from these dynamic tests are compared to the stationary results. The airflow in both sets of experiments is visualised by using a laser-based system. The stationary test shows that the well-established den Hartog criterion for predicting vertical galloping does not explain why lightly-iced lines gallop. The dynamic experiments however confirm the presence of rotation-induced lift, unaccounted for by quasi-steady theory and the den Hartog criterion. This additional lift force increases the coupling between the rotational and vertical directions and may promote coupled aerodynamic instability. Visualisations indicate that the surface irregularities of the ice and the rotational motion are jointly responsible for the rotation-induced lift forces observed in the aerodynamic measurements.

No description available.