Structural discontinuity effects on whirl-flutter control

• Grant number: 22/12372-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: January 10, 2023
• End date: July 09, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Aerospace Engineering - Aerospace Structures
• Principal Investigator: Rui Marcos Grombone de Vasconcellos
• Grantee: Sérvio Túlio Suenai Haramura Bastos
• Supervisor: Abdessattar Abdelkefi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental São João da Boa Vista. São João da Boa Vista , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: New Mexico State University (NMSU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/09276-5 - Smart materials application for whirl-flutter instability control, BP.MS

Abstract

The observance of nonlinearities is fundamental in the design of aircraft propulsion systems, especially when considering the aeroelastic behavior on propeller-driven aircraft, since an optimal balance between performance and safety is required. Nonlinearities are intrinsic to any aircraft, being expected in the design or appearing during its operational life. In both cases, they influence the performance of the aircraft and can provide some unexpected or undesirable responses, causing catastrophic failures and losses, making a better understanding of nonlinear sources and their effects an important requirement. The structural freeplay nonlinearity is very important since it can't be avoided in the project due to tolerances and thermal properties of materials. On the other hand, aging and fatigue can introduce unexpected freeplay increase during the operational life. Although, such type of investigation has been done to whirl-flutter phenomenon, its influence in the presence of the piezoceramics has been not performed yet, either to energy harvesting or control.The present project proposes to investigate the main effects of such nonlinearity on passive and active piezoelectric control of whirl-flutter instability. To verify the validity of the numerical results, an experimental apparatus can be adapted and constructed to include structural freeplay and piezoceramics. The results of the present proposal can contribute to increase the safety and performance of the next generation of propeller-driven aircraft, from new turboprops to vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft of future urban air mobility. (AU)