Nonlinear Flutter Analysis of Missile Fin considering Dynamic Stiffness of Actuator

Nonlinear aeroelastic analyses of a missile control fin are performed considering backlash and dynamic stiffness of actuator. Doublet-Hybrid method is used for the calculation of subsonic unsteady aerodynamic forces, and aerodynamic forces are approximated by the minimum-state approximation. For nonlinear flutter analysis backlash is represented by a free-play and is linearized by using the describing function method. Also, dynamic stiffness is function of frequency and is calculated by solving equation of motion for actuator. The linear and nonlinear flutter analyses show that the aeroelastic characteristics are significantly dependent on the backlash and dynamic stiffness. From the nonlinear flutter analysis, various types of limit cycle oscillations are observed in a range of air speeds below the linear divergent flutter boundary. The nonlinear flutter characteristics and the nonlinear aeroelastic responses are also investigated in the time domain.