Dynamics of a Slender Spinning Membrane

A novel approach is introduced to conduct dynamic analysis of a spinning, high aspect ratio membrane. In this formulation, an inextensible, long, slender membrane is modeled using a discrete set of lumped masses. Lagranges equations are used to derive the highly coupled ordinary differential equations for in-plane, out-of-plane, and twisting motions for the spinning membrane. The generalized and uncoupled linear equations for small motion are used to compute the vibration mode frequencies which are compared to results from an uncoupled analysis of blade motion using rotor dynamics. Linearized behavior is shown to reduce to the linearized solutions for the spinning membrane blade developed by MacNeal. Numerical simulations along with 3-D animations are used to study the linear and nonlinear uncoupled dynamics of the spinning membrane.