Nonlinear open-/closed-loop aeroelastic analysis of airfoils via Volterra series

Determination of the subcritical aeroelastic response to arbitrary time-dependent external excitation and determination of the flutter instability of open/closed-loop two-dimensional nonlinear airfoils constitute the main topics. To address these problems, Volterra series and indicial aerodynamic functions are used, and, in the same context, the pertinent aeroelastic nonlinear kernels are determined. Flutter instability predictions obtained within this approach compared with their counterparts generated via the frequency eigenvalue analysis and via experiments reveal excellent agreements. Implications of a number of important parameters characterizing the lifting surface and control law on the aeroelastic response/flutter are discussed, and pertinent conclusions are outlined.