Aeroelastic Instability in a Rotor-Nacelle Assembly with Two Degrees of Freedom

• Grant number: 25/07301-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Aerospace Engineering - Aerodynamics
• Principal Investigator: Rui Marcos Grombone de Vasconcellos
• Grantee: Leonardo Souza Prado
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental São João da Boa Vista. São João da Boa Vista , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Flutter is an aeroelastic instability that occurs as a result of the rapid transformation of energy from the flow into forces and moments, which generate mechanical vibrations, which can grow in magnitude to the point where damping is not sufficient, i.e., forcing the structure, regardless of its resistance, to failure. In a communication, several structures are exposed to constant flow, such as wings, empennages and propellers, the latter being the approach of this research project. During the rotation of the propellers, rotating moments are generated and are coupled to the axial movements of the nacelle, so that, from a flow speed VFlutter, the damping is canceled, and the instability becomes divergent, being called twist flutter. Thus, there is a significant interest in the aeronautical industry to determine ways to predict and mitigate this specific to improve the safety and performance of aircraft, as well as to make new projects viable. Therefore, a mathematical model will be used to predict the dynamic behavior of the system and the influence of parameter variation on instability. An experimental device will be manufactured for validation. The results provided may be useful for the development of more accurate mathematical models, contributing to the development of more efficient and safer aeronautical structures, in addition to defining analyses for future analyses.