The ASD’s work attracts the sponsorship of multiple partners, including NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and industry. The group tackles the unique deformation issues encountered by all high-performance aircraft: light-weight components are subject to vibrational and other forms of deformation.  For instance, the structural deformation of wings can cause the quasi-static airloads to differ substantially from those of a more rigid vehicle. This includes a variety of unstable behaviors, both quasi-static and dynamic, which can shorten the life of the aircraft, or even destroy it.

The ASD group’s research seeks to address aeroelasticity and structural dynamics issues for aerospace systems early in the design process. In practice, this leads to fewer late-program “surprises” (such as flutter or vibration problems that show up on the prototype system) which delay production and add to the cost of new systems.

ASD researchers are developing computational methodologies which incorporate these aspects, and are utilizing this technology to explore the vitally important effects of structural flexibility and dynamics. Using ENS3DAE, a transonic tightly-coupled aeroelastic methodology developed as part of a consortium (Georgia Tech and Lockheed-Martin) through Wright Laboratory, researchers are exploring the mechanisms driving aeroelastic phenomena which lead to Limit Cycle Oscillations (LCO), flutter and fatigue problems. They have also developed a methodology, under Wright Laboratory funding, to couple existing rigid CFD codes and CSM codes to examine static aeroelastic problems. This methodology, Fluid and Structure Interface Toolkit (FASIT), can also be used to extend the usefulness of existing CFD codes, and as an interface mechanism between disciplines. Finally, flexible multi-body dynamics codes are coupled with OVERFLOW, a CFD code developed at NASA Ames Research center, to study rotorcraft aeroelasticity problems.