The Influence of Structural Modeshape Variability on Limit Cycle Oscillation Behaviour

Modal analysis is a popular approach used in structural dynamic and aeroelastic problems due to its efficiency. The response of a structure is compo
sed of the sum of orthogonal eigenvectors or modeshapes and corresponding modal frequencies. This paper investigates the importance of modeshapes on the aeroelastic response of the Goland wing subject to structural uncertainties. The wing undergoes limit cycle oscillations (LCO) as a result of the inclusion of polynomial stiffness nonlinearities. The LCO computations are performed using a Harmonic Balance approach for speed, the modal properties of the system are extracted from MSC NASTRAN. Variability in both the wing’s structure and the store centre of gravity location is investigated in two cases:- supercritical and subcritical type LCOs. Results show that the LCO behaviour is only sensitive to change in modeshapes when the nature of the modes are changing significantly.