Mitigation of Tiltrotor Whirl-Flutter through Pylon Center of Gravity (CG) Placement

Abstract

Tiltrotor aircraft are a crucial element of the United States national defense. The goal of this project is to explore a design parameter that might increase its cruise speed from 275 knots to 450 knots in the future. Specifically, it will investigate, experimentally, using a dynamically scaled model installed in the University of Maryland Glenn Martin wind-tunnel, the impact of pylon center of gravity (CG) on the unsteady aerodynamics and aeroelastic stability of a flexible wing-pylon proprotor system at very high speeds. The bending-torsion coupling it will introduce is conjectured to influence the rotor in-plane drag force, blade flapping, and through the CG offset, wing-pylon coupled beam, chord, and torsion modes to ultimately alter the nature of whirl-flutter instability.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Feb 13, 2024
Source ID
N004212410003

Entities

People

  • Anubhav Datta

Organizations

  • United States Navy
  • University of Maryland

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerodynamics/Aeronautics.
  • Aerospace Engineering