November 14, 2024
Measuring aerodynamic damping in a wind tunnel: Understanding and avoiding flutter
There is a significant risk of flutter in aircraft wings, wind turbines and aircraft engine blades. Flutter is an aeroelastic instability which, under simplified linear conditions, once set in motion will not stop. An oscillation of the wing or engine blade generates such a pressure fluctuation around the profile that it acts back on the wing or blade in such a way that it amplifies the initial oscillation and thus further amplifies the pressure reaction. If the parameters remain constant, the vibration and pressure reaction will grow together until a structural failure occurs.