A two-degree-of-freedom flutter mount system with low damping for testing rigid wings at different angles of attack

Abstract

A wind tunnel model mount system for conducting flutter research using a rigid wing was developed. The wing is attached to a splitter plate so that the two move as one rigid body. The splitter plate is supported away from the tunnel wall by a system of rods with fixed fixed and conditions. The rods flex in such a way that only pitch and plunge oscillations are permitted. At the tunnel wall the rods are attached to a remotely controlled turntable so that angle of attack can be varied. Wind tunnel data obtained by using the mount system are presented for a supercritical and a conventional airfoil. Both classical flutter and stall flutter data are presented