Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics
The fourteenth AerospaceLab Journal issue will be dedicated to aeroelasticity and structural dynamics. Aeroelasticity can be briefly defined as the study of the low frequency dynamic behavior of a structure (aircraft, turbomachine, helicopter rotor, etc.) in an aerodynamic flow. It focuses on the interactions between, on one hand, the static or vibrational deformations of the structure and, on the other hand, the modifications or fluctuations of the aerodynamic flow field.
Aeroelastic phenomena have a strong influence on stability and therefore on the integrity of aeronautical structures, as well as on their performance and durability. In the current context, in which a reduction of the effects of aeronautics on the environment is sought, in particular by reducing the mass and fuel consumption of aircraft, , aeroelasticity problems must be taken into account as early as possible in the design of such structures, whether they are conventional or innovative concepts. It is therefore necessary to develop increasingly efficient, effective and accurate numerical and experimental methods and tools, allowing increasingly complex physical phenomena to be taken into account. On the other hand, the development of larger and lighter aeronautical structures entails the need to determine the dynamical characteristics of such structures, taking into account their possibly non-linear behavior (large displacements, for example), optimizing them by, for example, taking advantage of particular properties of new materials (in particular, composite materials).
This issue of AerospaceLab Journal will present the state of the art of the numerical calculation and simulation methods specific to aeroelasticity and structural dynamics for several applications: fan damping computation and flutter prediction, static and dynamic aeroelasticity of aircraft, gust response. Moreover, articles will present results on smart morphing structures for airplanes and helicopters. Another kind of fluid-structure coupling interaction, sloshing of liquids in tanks, will also be addressed. Other papers will present the latest progress in terms of structure design, critical load assessment and aero-structural gradient computation, aimed at multi-disciplinary optimization (MDO). Finally, articles will present recent results relating to structural damping modelling and the non-linear behavior of structural assemblies, to the development of structure optimization algorithms taking into account uncertainties, and to the development of vibration control devices.