Nonlinear behavior of a typical airfoil section with control surface freeplay: A numerical and experimental study

A three degree-of-freedom aeroelastic typical section with control surface freeplay is modeled theoretically as a system of piecewise linear state-space models. The system response is determined by time marching of the governing equations using a standard Runge-Kutta algorithm in conjunction with Hénon's method for integrating a system of equations to a prescribed surface of phase space section. Hénon's method is used to locate the "switching points" accurately and efficiently as the system moves from one linear region into another. An experimental model which closely approximates the three degree-of-freedom typical section in two-dimensional, incompressible flow has been created to validate the theoretical model. Consideration is given to modeling realistically the structural damping present in the experimental system. The effect of the freeplay on the system response is examined numerically and experimentally. The development of the state-space model offers a low-order, computationally efficient means of modeling fully the freeplay nonlinearity and may offer advantages in future research which will investigate the effects of freeplay on the control of flutter in the typical section. © 1997 Academic Press Limited.