Experimental and Analytical Studies in Tilt-Rotor Aeroelasticity

An overview of an experimental and analytical research program underway within the Aeroelasticity Branch of the NASA Langley Research Center for studying the aeroelastic and dynamic characteristics of tilt-rotor VTOL aircraft is presented. Selected results from several joint NASA/ contractor investigations of scaled models in the Langley transonic dynamics tunnel as well as some results from a test of a flight-worthy proprotor in the NASA Ames full-scale wind tunnel are shown and discussed with a view toward delineating various aspects of dynamic behavior peculiar to proprotor aiecraft. Included are such items as proprotor/ pylon stability, whirl flutter, gust response, and analyses developed at Langley, are shown to be in agreement with the measured stability and response behavior.