Experimental investigations on the dynamic behavior of a 2-DOF airfoil in the transitional Re number regime based on digital-image correlation measurements

The present paper investigates the fluid–structure interaction (FSI) of a wing with two degrees of freedom (DOF), i.e., pitch and heave, in the transitional Reynolds number regime. This 2-DOF setup marks a classic configuration in aeroelasticity to demonstrate flutter stability of wings. In the past, mainly analytic approaches have been developed to investigate this challenging problem under simplifying assumptions such as potential flow. Although the classical theory offers satisfying results for certain cases, modern numerical simulations based on fully coupled approaches, which are more generally applicable and powerful, are still rarely found. Thus, the aim of this paper is to provide appropriate experimental reference data for well-defined configurations under clear operating conditions. In a follow-up contribution these will be used to demonstrate the capability of modern simulation techniques to capture instantaneous physical phenomena such as flutter. The measurements in a wind tunnel are carried out based on digital-image correlation (DIC). The investigated setup consists of a straight wing using a symmetric NACA 0012 airfoil. For the experiments the model is mounted into a frame by means of bending and torsional springs imitating the elastic behavior of the wing. Three different configurations of the wing possessing a fixed elastic axis are considered. For this purpose, the center of gravity is shifted along the chord line of the airfoil influencing the flutter stability of the setup. Still air free-oscillation tests are used to determine characteristic properties of the unloaded system (e.g. mass moment of inertia and damping ratios) for one (pitch or heave) and two degrees (pitch and heave) of freedom. The investigations on the coupled 2-DOF system in the wind tunnel are performed in an overall chord Reynolds number range of $9.66\times 10^3\le \text{Re}\le 8.77\times 10^4$. The effect of the fluid-load induced damping is studied for the three configurations. Furthermore, the cases of limit-cycle oscillation (LCO) as well as diverging flutter motion of the wing are characterized in detail. In addition to the DIC measurements, hot-film measurements of the wake flow for the rigid and the oscillating airfoil are presented in order to distinguish effects originating from the flow and the structure.     

Numerical investigation of the effects of structural geometric and material nonlinearities on limit-cycle oscillation of a cropped delta wing

This article presents numerical simulations of the limit-cycle oscillation (LCO) of a cropped delta wing in order to investigate the effects of structural geometric and material nonlinearities on aeroelastic behavior. In the computational model, the structural part included both the geometric nonlinearity that arises from large deflections, and the material nonlinearity that originates from plasticity. The Euler equations were employed in the fluid part to describe the transonic aerodynamics. Moreover, the load transfer was conducted using a 3-D interpolating procedure, and the interfaces between the structural and aerodynamic domains were constructed in the form of an exact match. The flutter and LCO behaviors of the cropped delta wing were simulated using the coupling model, and the results were compared with existing experimental measurements. For lower dynamic pressures, the geometric nonlinearity provided the proper mechanism for the development of the LCO, and the numerical results correlated with the experimental values. For higher dynamic pressures, the material nonlinearity led to a rapid rise in the LCO amplitude, and the simulated varying trend was consistent with the experimental observation. This study demonstrated that the LCO of the cropped delta wing was not only closely related to geometric nonlinearity, but was also remarkably affected by material nonlinearity.     

Validation of CFD‐CSD coupling interface methodology using commercial codes

Coupling interface between computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational structural dynamics (CSD) is required to provide exchange of information for the simulation of fluid–structure interaction (FSI) phenomena. Accuracy and consistency of information exchanged through coupling interface between the independent CFD and CSD solvers plays a central role in the simulation and prediction of FSI phenomenon, like flutter. In this paper validation of an implemented coupling interface methodology is presented for subsonic, transonic and near supersonic mach regime. The test case chosen for this purpose is the flutter of AGARD445.6 standard I‐wing weakened model configuration for subsonic to near transonic flow regime. Gambit^® and Fluent^® are used for CFD grid generation and solution of fluid dynamic equations, respectively. CSD modeling and simulation are provided by numerical time integration of modal dynamic equations derived through the finite element modeling in ANSYS^® environment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical simulation of free‐surface flow using the level‐set method with global mass correction

A new numerical method that couples the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations with the global mass correction level‐set method for simulating fluid problems with free surfaces and interfaces is presented in this paper. The finite volume method is used to discretize Navier–Stokes equations with the two‐step projection method on a staggered Cartesian grid. The free‐surface flow problem is solved on a fixed grid in which the free surface is captured by the zero level set. Mass conservation is improved significantly by applying a global mass correction scheme, in a novel combination with third‐order essentially non‐oscillatory schemes and a five stage Runge–Kutta method, to accomplish advection and re‐distancing of the level‐set function. The coupled solver is applied to simulate interface change and flow field in four benchmark test cases: (1) shear flow; (2) dam break; (3) travelling and reflection of solitary wave and (4) solitary wave over a submerged object. The computational results are in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions, experimental data and previous numerical simulations using a RANS‐VOF method. The simulations reveal some interesting free‐surface phenomena such as the free‐surface vortices, air entrapment and wave deformation over a submerged object. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of Nonlinear Aeroelastic Systems Based on the Volterra Theory: Progress and Opportunities

The identification of nonlinear aeroelastic systems based on the Volterra theory of nonlinear systems is presented. Recent applications of the theory to problems in computational and experimental aeroelasticity are reviewed. Computational results include the development of computationally efficient reduced-order models (ROMs) using an Euler/Navier–Stokes flow solver and the analytical derivation of Volterra kernels for a nonlinear aeroelastic system. Experimental results include the identification of aerodynamic impulse responses, the application of higher-order spectra (HOS) to wind-tunnel flutter data, and the identification of nonlinear aeroelastic phenomena from flight flutter test data of the active aeroelastic wing (AAW) aircraft.     

Numerical investigation of structural geometric nonlinearity effect in high-aspect-ratio wing using CFD/CSD coupled approach

An efficient and robust fluid–structure coupled methodology has been developed to investigate the linear and non-linear static aeroelastic behavior of flexible high-aspect-ratio wing. A three-dimensional open source finite element solver has been loosely coupled with an in-house Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver, designed for hybrid-unstructured meshes, to perform aero-structural coupled simulations. For volume mesh deformation and two-way data interpolation over non-matching grids interface, a radial basis function methodology combined with a data reduction algorithm has been used. This technique is efficient in handling large deflections and provides high-quality deformed meshes. Structural geometric nonlinearity has been considered to predict the deformations in the vertical and torsional directions caused by gravitational and aerodynamic loading. A multi-material finite element model has been generated to match the experimental configuration. Computational aeroelastic simulations were performed on an experimental high-aspect-ratio aeroelastic wing model with a slender body at the tip to get non-linear static deflections, twist and structure natural frequencies. The effect of the geometric nonlinearity is significant for large deformation analysis and has been highlighted in the predicted maximum tip deflection and twist. Good qualitative and quantitative agreement has been achieved between the predicted results and the available experimental data.     

结构爆炸毁伤的浸没多介质有限体积物质点法

结构在爆炸载荷作用下的毁伤现象涉及强非线性激波、固体结构极端变形和破坏破碎、强流固耦合, 给数值计算方法带来了极大的困难与挑战. 针对结构爆炸毁伤问题, 建立了浸没多介质有限体积物质点法(iMMFV-MPM), 采用基于黎曼求解器的多介质有限体积法(MMFVM)模拟爆炸产物和空气的多介质流体, 采用物质点法(MPM)模拟固体结构, 并将提出的基于拉格朗日乘子的连续力浸没边界法(lg-CFIBM)扩展到多介质流体中以处理流固耦合边界条件. 该算法在每个时间步严格满足流固耦合界面处的速度边界条件及动量守恒方程, 不需要重构流固耦合界面, 能够有效地模拟近场爆炸下爆炸产物与结构的相互作用、激波与结构的相互作用和演化以及结构的动态断裂和拓扑变化. 利用iMMFV-MPM对近场爆炸下方形钢筋混凝土靶板的失效模式、外爆载荷下建筑物的毁伤现象以及多腔室内爆炸试验进行了模拟, 模拟结果与相关实验数据吻合良好, 验证了所建立的流固耦合算法的有效性及精度.      

FLUTTER OF AN AIRFOIL WITH A CUBIC RESTORING FORCE

In this paper, the effect of a cubic structural restoring force on the flutter characteristics of a two-dimensional airfoil placed in an incompressible flow is investigated. The aeroelastic equations of motion are written as a system of eight first-order ordinary differential equations. Given the initial values of plunge and pitch displacements and their velocities, the system of equations is integrated numerically using a fourth order Runge-Kutta scheme. Results for soft and hard springs are presented for a pitch degree-of-freedom nonlinearity. The study shows the dependence of the divergence flutter boundary on initial conditions for a soft spring. For a hard spring, the nonlinear flutter boundary is independent of initial conditions for the spring constants considered. The flutter speed is identical to that for a linear spring. Divergent flutter is not encountered, but instead limit-cycle oscillation occurs for velocities greater than the flutter speed. The behaviour of the airfoil is also analysed using analytical techniques developed for nonlinear dynamical systems. The Hopf bifurcation point is determined analytically and the amplitude of the limit-cycle oscillation in post-Hopf bifurcation for a hard spring is predicted using an asymptotic theory. The frequency of the limit-cycle oscillation is estimated from an approximate method. Comparisons with numerical simulations are carried out and the accuracy of the approximate method is discussed. The analysis can readily be extended to study limit-cycle oscillation of airfoils with nonlinear polynomial spring forces in both plunge and pitch degrees of freedom.     

Validation of a fluid–structure interaction model for a bileaflet mechanical heart valve

A fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model for heart valve simulation is presented. In a partitioned framework, separate fluid and structure solvers are weakly coupled, which in combination with the use of artificial compressibility in the fluid solver, leads to a stable and efficient approach. An Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation is employed in the fluid solver to permit the accurate calculation of shear stresses next to the valve boundary. The mesh quality is maintained through a combination of smoothing and local remeshing in 3D. The FSI algorithm is validated on experiments of an idealised quasi-2D mechanical heart valve, and the efficiency of the remeshing approach is demonstrated on a realistic 3D heart-valve geometry.     

Investigation on a coupled Navier–Stokes–Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method for the simulation of plume flowfield of a conical nozzle

To assess the plume effects of space thrusters, the accurate plume flowfield is indispensable. The plume flow of thrusters involves both continuum and rarefied flow regimes. Coupled Navier–Stokes–Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (NS–DSMC) method is a major approach to the simulation of continuum‐rarefied flows. An axisymmetric coupled NS–DSMC solver, possessing adaptive‐interface and two‐way coupling features, is investigated in this paper for the simulation of the nozzle and plume flows of thrusters. The state‐based coupling scheme is adopted, and the gradient local Knudsen number is used to indicate the breakdown of continuum solver. The nitrogen flows in a conical nozzle and its plume are chosen as the reference case to test the coupled solver. The threshold value of the continuum breakdown parameter is studied based on both theoretical kinetic velocity sampling and coupled numerical tests. Succeeding comparisons between coupled and full DSMC results demonstrate their conformities, meanwhile, the former saves 58.8% computational time. The pitot pressure evaluated from the coupled simulation result is compared with the experimental data proposed in literatures, revealing that the coupled method makes precise predictions on the experimental pitot pressure. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluid-structure interaction simulation of three-dimensional flexible hydrofoil in water tunnel

The closely coupled approach combined with the finite volume method (FVM) solver and the finite element method (FEM) solver is used to investigate the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) of a three-dimensional cantilevered hydrofoil in the water tunnel. The FVM solver and the coupled approach are verified and validated by comparing the numerical predictions with the experimental measurements, and good agreement is obtained concerning both the lift on the foil and the tip displacement. In the noncavitating flow, the result indicates that the growth of the initial incidence angle and the Reynolds number improves the deformation of the foil, and the lift on the foil is increased by the twist deformation. The normalized twist angle and displacement along the span of the hydrofoil for different incidence angles and Reynolds numbers are almost uniform. For the cavitation flow, it is shown that the small amplitude vibration of the foil has limited influence on the developing process of the partial cavity, and the quasi two-dimensional cavity shedding does not change the deformation mode of the hydrofoil. However, the frequency spectrum of the lift on the foil contains the frequency which is associated with the first bend frequency of the hydrofoil.     

Aeroelastic prediction of the limit cycle oscillations of a cropped delta wing

The flutter and limit cycle oscillation (LCO) behavior of a cropped delta wing are investigated using a newly developed computational aeroelastic solver. This computational model includes a well-validated Euler finite difference solver coupled to a high-fidelity finite element structural solver. The nonlinear structural model includes geometric nonlinearities which are modelled using a co-rotational formulation. The LCOs of the cropped delta wing are computed and the results are compared to previous computations and to experiment. Over the range of dynamic pressures for which experimental results are reported, the LCO magnitudes computed using the current model are comparable to those from a previous computation which used a lower-order von Karman structural model. However, for larger dynamic pressures, the current computational model and the model which used the von Karman theory start to differ significantly, with the current model predicting larger deflections for a given dynamic pressure. This results in a LCO curve which is in better qualitative agreement with experiment. Flow features which were present in the previous computational model such as a leading edge vortex and a shock wave are enhanced in the current model due to the prediction of larger deflections and rotations at the higher dynamic pressures.     

Development of a fully Lagrangian MPS-based coupled method for simulation of fluid–structure interaction problems

A fully Lagrangian particle-based method is developed for simulating the FSI (Fluid–Structure Interaction) problems corresponding to incompressible fluid flows and elastic structures. First, the developed elastic structure model is verified by static and dynamic tests corresponding to a simple cantilever beam. The simulation results are compared with analytical and other researchers׳ numerical solutions. Then, the structure model is carefully coupled with a fluid model comprising of the so-called PNU-MPS (Pusan-National-University-modified Moving Particle Simulation) method and several recently developed enhanced schemes. The coupled fluid–structure method is applied to a dam break with an elastic gate and a violent sloshing flow with a hanging rubber baffle. The results of simulations are compared with those of the experiments by Antoci et al. (2007) and Idelsohn et al. (2008).     

Parametric active aeroelastic control of a morphing wing using the receptance method

This study proposes the parametric active aeroelastic control of a folding wing, which is a promising concept of morphing wings, by integrating the parameterized aeroservoelastic model and the receptance-based control strategy. It starts with establishing the parameterized aeroservoelastic model of the folding wing with respect to its folding angle and air speed. The transfer functions between the embedded sensors and the actuators of the folding wing are then efficiently obtained using the parameterized aeroservoelastic model. Finally, control gains for varying folding angle and air speed of the wing are synthesized using the receptance method. The results of numerical analyses show that smooth evolutions of the control gains can be obtained over a wide range of folding angles and air speeds, although the dynamic behavior of the folding wing is sensitive to these parameters. In addition, the active aeroelastic control can effectively suppress aeroelastic vibrations and expand flutter boundaries of the folding wing. The benefit of the parametric active aeroelastic control for the folding wing, i.e., smoothly switching among the control laws without exciting undesirable vibrations is highlighted.     

Amplification and amplitude limitation of heave/pitch limit-cycle oscillations close to the transonic dip

Recent results from flutter experiments of the supercritical airfoil NLR 7301 at flow conditions close to the transonic dip are presented. The airfoil was mounted with two degrees-of-freedom in an adaptive solid-wall wind tunnel, and boundary-layer transition was tripped. Flutter boundaries exhibiting a transonic dip were determined and limit-cycle oscillations (LCOs) were measured. The local energy exchange between the fluid and the structure during LCOs is examined and leads to the following findings: at supercritical Mach numbers below that of the transonic-dip minimum the presence of a shock-wave and its dynamics destabilizes the aeroelastic system such that the decreasing branch of the transonic dip develops. At higher Mach numbers the shock-wave motion has a stabilizing effect such that the flutter boundary increases to higher flutter-speed indices with increasing Mach number. Amplified oscillations near this branch of the flutter boundary obtain energy from the flow mainly due to the dynamics of a trailing-edge flow separation. A slight nonlinear amplitude dependency of the shock motion and a possibly occurring boundary-layer separation cause the amplitude limitation of the observed LCOs. The impact of the findings on the numerical simulation of these phenomena is discussed.     

Towards numerical simulations of supersonic liquid jets using ghost fluid method

A computational tool based on the ghost fluid method (GFM) is developed to study supersonic liquid jets involving strong shocks and contact discontinuities with high density ratios. The solver utilizes constrained reinitialization method and is capable of switching between the exact and approximate Riemann solvers to increase the robustness. The numerical methodology is validated through several benchmark test problems; these include one-dimensional multiphase shock tube problem, shock–bubble interaction, air cavity collapse in water, and underwater-explosion. A comparison between our results and numerical and experimental observations indicate that the developed solver performs well investigating these problems. The code is then used to simulate the emergence of a supersonic liquid jet into a quiescent gaseous medium, which is the very first time to be studied by a ghost fluid method. The results of simulations are in good agreement with the experimental investigations. Also some of the famous flow characteristics, like the propagation of pressure-waves from the liquid jet interface and dependence of the Mach cone structure on the inlet Mach number, are reproduced numerically. The numerical simulations conducted here suggest that the ghost fluid method is an affordable and reliable scheme to study complicated interfacial evolutions in complex multiphase systems such as supersonic liquid jets.     

Aeroelastic stability of a cantilevered plate in yawed subsonic flow

The aeroelastic stability of cantilevered plates with their clamped edge oriented both parallel and normal to subsonic flow is a classical fluid–structure interaction problem. When the clamped edge is parallel to the flow the system loses stability in a coupled bending and torsion motion known as wing flutter. When the clamped edge is normal to the flow the instability is exclusively bending and is referred to as flapping flag flutter. This paper explores the stability of plates during the transition between these classic aeroelastic configurations. The aeroelastic model couples a classical beam structural model to a three-dimensional vortex lattice aerodynamic model. The aeroelastic stability is evaluated in the frequency domain and the flutter boundary is presented as the plate is rotated from the flapping flag to the wing configuration. The transition between the flag-like and wing-like instability is often abrupt and the yaw angle of the flow for the transition is dependent on the relative spacing of the first torsion and second bending natural frequencies. This paper also includes ground vibration and aeroelastic experiments carried out in the Duke University Wind Tunnel that confirm the theoretical predictions.     

高超声速舵面颤振的数值模拟影响因素研究

针对某高超声速舵面颤振风洞试验模型开展了数值模拟研究,采用多种气动力模型和耦合迭代策略,研究对颤振预测结果的影响。计算结果表明,采用三阶活塞理论、统一升力面理论、Euler方程和N-S方程的颤振动压预测结果较接近,与试验值误差均在7%以内。采用时域方法计算时,松耦合方法的误差较大,超过15%。同时还发现,支撑机构会带来激波边界层干扰效应,一定程度上提高了颤振动压,考虑该因素的预测结果与试验值更接近。     

Aeroelastic behavior of a flag in ground effect

The aeroelastic behavior of a flexible plate subjected to a uniform axial flow is investigated in the presence of a rigid plane set parallel to the plate. It is shown that the ground effect reduces the flutter inflow velocity and strengthens the possibility of using the flag for extracting energy from winds and currents. The numerical analysis is carried out assuming that both the unsteady potential incompressible flow and the plate can be described with 2D models, i.e., a lumped vortex panel method and a nonlinear Euler–Bernoulli beam model, respectively, without losing the essential features of the fluid–structure interaction. Asymmetry of post-critical behavior (limit-cycle oscillations) and sensitivity of the results to the main flag parameters (distance from the ground, mass ratio and damping) are also considered, including also the energy distribution over the identified proper orthogonal modes. The investigated reduction of the flutter velocity in ground effect has been also confirmed with experimental tests relative to a polypropylene flag with and without the rigid panel mimicking the presence of the ground.     

MPS-FEM数值分析带自由面的流固耦合问题

随着计算科学的发展,研究人员为探索流固耦合问题的物理机理而提出了众多的数值方法。其中,耦合的移动粒子半隐式方法 MPS(Moving Particle Semi-Implicit method)和有限单元法FEM(Finite Element method)为流固耦合问题的数值仿真工作提供了新的途径。本文所有流场的数值模拟工作均采用课题组自主开发的无网格法求解器MLParticle-SJTU来完成。该求解器在原始的MPS法基础上,对核函数、压力梯度模型、压力泊松方程的求解和自由面判断方式等方面进行了改进。此外,在该求解器框架内,基于FEM法拓展了针对结构场进行求解的功能。首先,对MPS和FEM方法的理论模型及其耦合策略进行了介绍。然后,采用该自研MPS-FEM耦合求解器,数值模拟了溃坝流动对弹性结构的冲击及其相互作用的标准问题。通过将结构变形及自由面波型变化等结果与已发表结果进行对比,验证了该求解器在处理带自由面剧烈变化的粘性流体和柔性变形结构的耦合作用问题上的可行性。