ME 597 / AAE 556: Aeroelasticity
Course Information
Instructional Modality: In-person and distance learning
Offered: Fall
Course credit hours: 3
Class meets: HAMP 2107. Tuesdays and Thursday 4:30-5:45 PM
Prerequisites: AAE 334 or equivalent course on introductory aerodynamics; ME 274 or AAE 340, or equivalent course on introductory vibrations; MA 303 or equivalent introductory course on differential equations
Instructor Contact Information ● Prof. Andres F. Arrieta ○ Office Phone: 765-494-5972 ○ Email: aarrieta@purdue.edu
Course Description Aeroelasticity is concerned with the consequences and trade-offs created by interactions between aerodynamic forces and structural deformation. The objective of this course is to introduce the theoretical and experimental foundations of aeroelasticity. Tools to analyze the following problems will be presented: static aeroelastic problems; control effectiveness; lift effectiveness; divergence; dynamic aeroelasticity; flutter and vibration.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- CLO1: Recognize various aerodynamic effects, including lift production around airfoils and control surface on flexible aircraft structures.
- CLO2: Assess the underlying assumptions in the aeroelastic analysis of fixed wing and rotary wing aerospace vehicles/systems.
- CLO3: Derive and analyze static and dynamic aeroelastic problems from governing equations of motion.
- CLO4: Determine stability boundaries and onset of aeroelastic phenomena.
- CLO5: Explain design concepts used to integrate structural topology with materials to develop light-weight structures.
| Introduction to Aeroelasticity (3 weeks) | Static Aeroelasticity (3 weeks) | Dynamic Aeroelasticity (5 weeks) | Unsteady and Nonlinear Aeroelasticity (4 weeks) |
| 1. Description of aeroelastic phenomena and historical development 2. Aeroelastic equations for typical 2D wing section 3. Aero-structural stability of typical wing section 4. Control effectiveness | 1. Continuous structure wing models 2. Swept wing static aeroelasticity 3. Swept wing control effectiveness and aeroelastic tailoring | 1. Panel methods for aerodynamic and structural analysis 2. Introduction to flutter 3. Vibrations and flutter analysis 4. Approximation methods, Rayleigh-Ritz | 1. Unsteady aerodynamics 2. V-g flutter analysis 3. P-k flutter models 4. Nonlinear aerodynamics 5. Panel flutter 6. Modern applications |
Required Texts
● Introduction to Aircraft Aeroelasticity and Loads, J. Wright and J. Cooper, Wiley, 2015. Available via Purdue Libraries.
● Aeroelasticity: -a one semester course, Terrence A. Weisshaar, 2022. (Link to find text on Amazon)