Effect Of Structural Nonlinearities On Aeroelastic Stability Of A Wing-Propeller System

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of freeplay nonlinearity on the aeroelastic stability of a wing-propeller system representative of an electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle. The freeplay is introduced in the propeller tilting mechanism, affecting the pitch degree of freedom. Stability analyses are carried out in airplane mode, using freestream velocity as the primary parameter. The study begins with the standalone propeller-pylon system and is subsequently extended to the complete configuration, including wing structural dynamics. The analysis employs a multibody dynamics framework coupled with a mid-fidelity aerodynamic solver based on the vortex particle method. Bifurcation diagrams reveal the emergence of limit cycle oscillations in pre-flutter conditions, underscoring their potential impact on the fatigue life of system components.