Numerical investigation of a vortex gust impinging on a freely-flying flexible airfoil

This project computationally investigates the unsteady fluid and structural response of a freely-flying chordwise flexible airfoil subjected to a vortex gust. This work is motivated by the growing use of flexible and lightweight materials in modern aircraft. The freely-flying airfoil is initially in equilibrium, and is then subject to both passive deformation and passive heave as a result of the gust interaction. The airfoil is modeled using a two-dimensional corotational beam that accounts for both the rigid body motion and the nonlinear deformation in a unified framework. Isolated vortex gusts are generated by an upstream airfoil undergoing prescribed heaving and pitching motions. Direct numerical simulations at a Reynolds number of 1000 are performed over a range of gust-generation profiles and structural parameters. The talk reports the influence of vortex strength, direction, and location on the airfoil's heave displacement, chordwise deformation, and aerodynamic loads. Preliminary results on accompanying flexible foil experiments are presented.