The Institute of Aeroelasticity

Main buliding DLR-Institute of Aeroelasticity in Göttingen
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The DLR Institute of Aeroelasticity is a leading research institute in the topics of aeroelasticity, structural dynamics, unsteady aerodynamics and dynamic loads. The employees in Göttingen focus on theoretical-numerical and experimental investigations dedicated to aircraft, helicopters, turbomachinery and wind turbines applications. Various large-scale DLR facilities are operated for fundamental and application-oriented experiments on the ground, in wind tunnels and in flight tests.

The discipline of Aeroelasticity comprises physical phenomena, which occur on structures in an airflow, when the aerodynamic forces interact with the elastomechanical forces in the structure.

Aeroelastic effects occur for example on plants or on buildings in free airflow. For aircraft however, aeroelastic stability is of exceptional importance: due to the necessary extreme lightweight design, aircraft have relatively flexible structures. As a consequence, aeroelastic deformations and oscillations can cause severe problems for the aircraft behavior.

Image video: Institute of Aeroelasticity
The video gets to the bottom of why aircraft wings, although elastic are safe.

Image video: Institute of Aeroelasticity

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Image video: Institute of Aeroelasticity
The video gets to the bottom of why aircraft wings, although elastic are safe.

In the institute multidisciplinary research activities and industrial contracts are performed with the aim to reliably predict aeroelastic phenomena and to ensure therefore operational safety of new developments. Experimental and numerical methods are developed and used for these analyses.

In the last decade the research work was focussed on nonlinearities in the aeroelastic behaviour of transport aircraft. Other important research fields concern the Aeroelasticity of turbomachines and rotorcrafts.

History

Already the Wright brothers were confronted with aeroelastic problems: they found solutions more by intuition than by identification of the physical mechanisms.

In Göttingen, scientific research is done since the 1920s already: publications of L. Prandtl, W. Birnbaum, H. Wagner, H.G. Küssner, H. Blenk and P. Jordan found international attraction and can be seen therefore as important milestones in the progress of Aircraft Aeroelasticity.

Founded in 1957, the former AVA department for Aeroelasticity became a separate institute after integration of the AVA into the DFVLR. It is the only research institute of the kind in Europe.

Departments of the Institute

Department Aeroelastic Experiments

The department Aeroelastic Experiments is committed to the planning, realization and analysis of challenging experiments in wind tunnels.

Department Aeroelastic Simulation

The Aeroelastic Simulation Department focuses on the numerical analysis of aeroelastic problems. Investigations for transport aircraft, small aircraft, turbomachines and rotorcraft are performed in close cooperation with the experimental activities of the institute.

Department Loads Analysis and Design

The Loads Analysis and Aeroelastic Design Department is concerned with questions that arise in the context of aircraft design with regard to aeroelastic properties or aeroelastic requirements. In addition, the Department deals with the subject of aircraft loads ‘in general’ (for example, for design tasks) and in-depth consideration of dynamic loads (among others, those due to gusts).

Department Structural Dynamics and System Identification

The Department of Structural Dynamics and System Identification deals with the dynamics and vibrations of structures in aeronautics and space travel. Through numerical analyzes and experimental investigations, essential mechanisms of the vibrations are recognized and cause-effect relationships are understood.

Contact

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lorenz Tichy

Head of Institute
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Aeroelasticity
Bunsenstr. 10, 37073 Göttingen