Ryerson University

Department of Aerospace Engineering

AER722 Aeroelasticity Project II

Due: November 24, 2014

A two-dimensional, two-degree-of-freedom thin airfoil of unit span and semi-chord b is mounted in a wind
tunnel via spring and damping system as shown below. The airfoil has mass m with its center of gravity at
xg from the mid-chord, and its moment of inertia about the center of gravity is ICG. Assume quasi-steady
incompressible aerodynamics for lift and moment calculations.

k1, c1

k2

k1, c1
x2

xg

1) Derive the complete equations of motion of the aeroelastic system about the mid-chord point using
Lagrangian mechanics. Present the equations in a simple 2 by 2 matrix form.
Assume incompressible flow with maximum speed Umax=150 m/s and density =1.225 kg/m3, and the
following airfoil parameters, b =0.2 m, m =5 kg, ICG =0.05 kg.m2, k1 =2 kN/m, c1 =10 N.s/m,
k1 =2 kN.m/rad, c1 =2 N.m.s/rad, k2 =1 kN/m, x2 =0.1 m, xg =0.04 m, and do the following.
2) Write a computer program in MATLAB or MAPLE to solve the 2-DOF equations via Matrix Solution
Method. Then, find the critical speed (flutter or divergence) for the airfoil.
3) Consider a point mass of 1.0 kg attached to the airfoil at distance xp from the mid-chord. Study the effects of
xp on the flutter speed, and propose a location for this point mass to maximize the flutter speed.
4) Study the effect of translational stiffness by varying k1 from 0 to 60 times its original value, and plot critical
speed versus k1.
5) Study the effect of torsional stiffness by varying the stiffness k1 from 0 to 2 times its original value, and
plot critical speed versus k1.
6) Vary the location of spring k2 from the leading edge to the trailing edge and plot the variation of critical
speed versus x2.
7) Study the effect of mechanical damping by varying c1 from 0 to 20 and c1 from 0 to 4, and plot critical
speed versus damping.
8) For the base case and the case with the point mass at the leading edge, show how the aeroelastic damping
and frequencies vary up to 1.2 times the critical speed.
Project Report: The report should be in the following format.
1. Standard Cover sheet from the department web site
2. Abstract (less than half a page) (5points)
3. Solution method and the derivations (15 points)
4. Calculation, results and analysis. Presents your results in neat graphs (60points)
Email your computer program to the TA bahram.raeisi@ryerson.ca
5. Discussion of the results and conclusions (15points)
Communication skills (5points)
You may be asked to change your computer program and find other results upon the TA request. All the
marks will be lost if one cannot change ones program and find new results.