Mechanical performance of high-altitude tilt-rotor based VTOL vehicle based on full fluid-structure coupling method

Abstract

Mechanical performance of high-altitude tilt-rotor based VTOL vehicle based on full fluid-structure coupling method Affected by the distinct structural characteristics, flight and operation conditions, the tilt-rotor system on an airship may endure aeroelastic instability under certain circumstances during actual envelope flight. Two typical configurations, i.e., beam-rotor layout and wing-rotor layout, are considered in this paper, and each physical model of the tilt-rotor system is established by means of fully fluid-structure coupling method. Because of the low-speed flight condition, the strip aerodynamic theory and the linear structural dynamic model are utilized for modelling. The aeroelastic characteristics of the tilt-rotor system are analyzed, in which the effects of rotation speed and distinct parameters on the aeroelastic characteristics of the models are discussed. The occurrence and evolution mechanism of the aeroelastic instability are revealed, which also provides guidance for the overall parameter design of the system.