AN ADVANCED UNIFIED AEROELASTIC FORMULATION BASED ON 1D HIGHER-ORDER FINITE ELEMENTS
Abstract
This paper presents an advanced aeroelastic formulation based on higher- order 1D structural models developed in the framework of the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF). 1D refined structural models based on CUF are obtained by assuming Taylor-like polynomial expansions of the generalized variables above the cross-section of the structure. The order (N ) of the expansion is a free-parameter of the formulation; in other words, N is one of the inputs of the analysis. Any-order models can be obtained with no need of ad hoc formulations by exploiting the so-called fundamental nuclei formulation which permits us to obtain the finite element matrices in a form that is independent of the order of the model. CUF 1D models allow us to detect highly accurate shell-like static deformations and modal shapes of thin-walled structures with a significant reduction of computational costs. CUF structural models are herein coupled to a refined Doublet-Lattice Method, DLM, code based on a quartic approximation of the oscillatory kernel. Flutter analyses are then performed by means of the g-method. It is mainly concluded that the present 1D advanced aeroelastic formulation is a reliable tool to perform aeroelastic analyses of typical wing configurations with a significant reduction of the computational effort.