Transonic wing flutter predictions by a loosely-coupled method

This paper presents transonic wing flutter predictions by coupling Euler/Navier–Stokes equations and structural modal equations. This coupling between Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Computational Structural Dynamics (CSD) is achieved through a Multi-Disciplinary Computing Environment (MDICE), which allows several computer codes or ‘modules’ to communicate in a highly efficient fashion. The present approach offers the advantage of utilizing well-established single-disciplinary codes in a multi-disciplinary framework. The flow solver is density-based for modeling compressible, turbulent flow problems using structured and/or unstructured grids. A modal approach is employed for the structural response. Flutter predictions performed on an AGARD 445.6 wing at different Mach numbers are presented and compared with experimental data.

► Transonic wing flutter is predicted by a loosely-coupled method.
► General interfacing approaches between CFD and CSD grids are proposed and developed.
► The computed flutter boundary of AGARD wing is compared well with experimental data.
► The transonic dip phenomenon is well captured.