Modeling the Aeroelastic Response of a Cantilevered Plate Using the Vortex Lattice Method and Modal Analysis

Abstract

The creation of an aeroelastic model for a cantilevered plate under a uniform flow is discussed. Starting with solving the aerodynamic load distribution over the plate using the vortex lattice method, this paper continues with discussing a structural model for the nonlinear behavior of an inextensible plate which utilizes the Euler-Lagrange equation and the Rayleigh-Ritz method to derive the equations of motion. The computation model discussed in this thesis couples the vortex lattice method with structural analysis to simulate the aeroelastic response of a thin plate. Computational results are shown which capture the time history of plate deflection at different flow velocities. The development of flutter dynamic’s instability is also observed by mapping limit cycle oscillation amplitudes at varying flow velocities and compared with experimental values from past studies.