An Experimental Parametric Study on the Whirl-Flutter Stability of Tiltrotors

doi:10.4050/F-0081-2025-0205

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An Experimental Parametric Study on the Whirl-Flutter Stability of Tiltrotors

Robert Thornburgh, Andrew Kreshock, Hao Kang, DEVCOM Army Research Lab Martin Sekula, Thomas Ivanco, Garrett McHugh, NASA Langley Research Center

https://doi.org/10.4050/F-0081-2025-0205

Abstract:
This paper presents an overview of the results from the second wind-tunnel test of the TiltRotor Aeroelastic Stability Testbed (TRAST). The objective of this test was to obtain experimental data for understanding the effects of tiltrotor parameters on whirl flutter and analysis-validation data for the prediction of whirl flutter across a range of system configurations. Frequency and damping were measured at multiple rotor speeds for pitch-flap-coupling angles ranging from -0°to -30°. In addition, measurements were made for changes in blade stiffness, air density and wing-pylon connection stiffness. The paper also presents the results from supporting measurements that may aid analysis validation, such as wing-only damping, rotor frequencies and non-spinning modal frequencies.