Experimental Research on the Effect of Wing Structure on Aeroelasticity Phenomenon

Aeroelasticity on airplane wing has a significant impact on the efficiency and the safety of a flight. Therefore, the study of aeroelasticity problems is a great attention in wing design process. To analyze this, three primary subjects of aeroelastic phenomena that the examination has to focus on, which are wingtip oscillation amplitude, flutter frequency and critical flutter velocity of the wing. [1] As these subjects are highly dependent on structures and materials of the wings, therefore, the aim of this paper is to introduce a structural calculation which is the combination of three experimental models and the infinite element method. Supercritical is chosen as the sample airfoils of the simulation. The model wings are made from different materials and size in order to create varied wing structures, thereby a comprehensive analysis is accomplished and the flutter velocity is also restricted to appropriate values within the working range of experiment devices. Simultaneously, Infinite element method using ANSYS software to simulate the phenomena on the same model wings is also conducted as a verification for the precision of the experimental models. In conclusion, obtained results from the structural calculation have a high applicability in the preliminary design stage of airplane wings, by making comparisons between two or more chosen airfoils to conclude which is the better one in term of wing sustainability and aeroelasticity resistance.