Stability analysis of the fluttering and autorotation of flow-induced rotation of a hinged flat plate

This work describes investigations performed on the interaction of uniform current and freely rotating plate about a fixed vertical axis. Fluttering and autorotation are two different motions that may occur during the flow induced rotation. The dimensional analysis proves that the motion in flow induced rotation motion is governed essentially by the dimensionless moment of inertia and Reynolds number. Certain combinations define the stability boundaries between fluttering and autorotation. Fluttering is oscillation of body about a vertical axis and the autorotation is a name given to the case when the body turns continuously about the vertical axis. First, the loads and moment coefficients are calculated by experiments and streamline theory for different angles of attack for a fixed flat plate. Then for dynamic case, a bifurcation diagram is presented based on experiments to classify different motion states of flow induced rotation. Finally, a dynamical model is proposed for stability analysis of flow induced rotation of a flat plate.