AEROELASTIC BEHAVIOR OF AN AIRFOIL TYPICAL SECTION CONSIDERING NONLINEAR UNSTEADY AERODYNAMICS

Abstract

This study compares simulation results for the aeroelastic behavior of an airfoil typical section by considering two distinct unsteady aerodynamics models: linear and nonlinear, for different airflow speeds. The considered aerodynamic models are the Edwards model, that treats the aerodynamic loading in a linear approximation, and the Beddoes-Leishman model, that treats the aerodynamic loading as a combination of linear and nonlinear contributions. The main goal of this study is to investigate the effects related to the dynamic stall phenomenon at airflow speeds above the linear critical flutter speed. As expected, simulation results show that the Beddoes-Leishman model represents the aeroelastic response of the airfoil more realistic, predicting the transformation of typical flutter unstable responses into stable limit-cycle oscillations at post-flutter airflow speeds.