Model Parameter Estimation Method on Multichannel Structural Response from Turbulence Flutter Test

Abstract

Flutter design is important for the design of new aircraft types, for which flutter tests are an important verification measure. Atmospheric turbulence excitation is a common form of excitation in flutter flight tests. The modal parameter estimation of the turbulence response is a key aspect to ensure accurate data processing of flutter test results. Atmospheric turbulence excitation acts on the structural system, and the turbulence response thus simultaneously contains both the randomness of the excitation signal and the determinism of the structure system. In view of the turbulence response characteristics, this paper addresses the incoherence of atmospheric turbulence excitation and the orthogonality of the frequency domain from a multichannel response. The turbulence response is used to perform modal parameter identification in the frequency domain. The power spectral density matrix can be calculated from the multichannel turbulence response using the periodogram method. Singular value decomposition is then performed on the power spectral density matrix at each spectral pin based on the orthogonality of the frequency domain. The maximum singular value of each spectral pin forms a curve over the entire frequency band, which is the autopower spectral density function of the system, the system is directly identified at the frequency domain using the polynomial fitting in the frequency domain, and the modal parameters (frequency, damping ratio) are calculated according to the fitted transfer function. This paper verifies the theoretical feasibility of the proposed method using simulation data. The engineering applicability is verified based on the turbulence response from the flutter flight test of a certain aircraft type.