Dynamic Aeroelasticity – Flutter

In this chapter, a simple binary flutter model is developed, making use of strip theory with simplified unsteady aerodynamic terms; the model is then used to illustrate the dynamic characteristics of aeroelastic systems, considering the effect of varying the position of the elastic axis, the mass distribution and the frequency spacing between the two modes. It considers the phenomenon of control surface flutter and the effect of rigid body modes. The chapter also briefly explores flutter in the transonic flight regime, and introduces some effects of non-linearities. It shows that it is important to include unsteady aerodynamic effects in the dynamic models that are used to predict the sub critical aeroelastic behaviour and the onset of flutter. A number of MATLAB codes related to the chapter are included in the companion website.