Master of Science DNM2AMA 2014-2015

Dynamics of aeronautical structures

Written exam - October 14th 2014

1. What is the 1st order influence of the aerodynamic forces on the wing bending (0.5p)?
a. No influence
b. Stiffness
c. Damping
d. Inertia

2. What is the 1st order influence of the aerodynamic forces on the aileron rotation (0.5p)?
a. No influence
b. Stiffness
c. Damping
d. Inertia

3. Airworthiness requirements for normal conditions: The airplane must be designed to be

free from aeroelastic instability (0.5p)
a. Up to Vd/Md and there must be no large and rapid reduction in stability as VD/MD
is approached
b. Up to 1.15Vd/1.15Md and there must be no large and rapid reduction in stability
as VD/MD is approached
c. Up to 1.15Vd/1.15Md and there must be no large and rapid reduction in stability
as 1.15Vd/1.15Md is approached
d. Up to 1.15Vd/1.15Md and there must be no large and rapid reduction in stability
as 1.15Vd/1.15Md is approached

4. What is the main advance of Phase Resonance method (PRM) (0.5p)

a. Preliminary sweep to detect resonance peaks
b. All results will be available when testing is complete
c. Very fast
d. Both a and c

5. What is the main objective of Ground Vibration Test (GVT) (0.5p)

a. Ensuring that the structure is safe on ground
b. Checking the validity of the dynamic model
c. Adjust the analysis model based on measured data
d. Both b and c

6. In flight test, the aircraft is mainly excited by (0.5p)

a. Gust
b. Thrust from engine
c. Control surfaces
7. The modal basis is compounded by a selection of the structural eigenmodes.
These eigenmodes are the solutions of one equation. Which one (0.5p) ?
a. [ B ] { Z’’ } + [ K ] { Z } = 0
b. [ M ] { Z’’ } + [ K ] { Z } = 0
c. [ M ] { Z’’ } + [ B ] { Z’ } + [ K ] { Z } = { Fext }
d. [ M ] { Z’ } + [ K ] { Z } = 0
8. Which sentence is not exact (multiple answers possible)? (0.5p)
a. The Generalized Aerodynamic Forces can affect the only stiffness of the coupled
system.
b. The Generalized Aerodynamic Forces can affect the only damping of the coupled
system.
c. The Generalized Aerodynamic Forces can affect both the stiffness and
the damping of the coupled system.
d. The Generalized Aerodynamic Forces is no longer diagonal

9. Generally speaking, for a swept back wing, the flexibility (0.5p) :

a. Increases the shear force
b. Moves the load to the outboard of the wing
c. Decreases the bending moment at the wing root

10. When a control reversal happens (0.5p):

a. The deflection of left aileron is opposite to the right
b. The co-pilot is responsible for the flight
c. The aircraft turns right when the stick is push to the left

11. Flexibility effects depend mainly on (0.5p)

a. Mach number
b. Reynolds number
c. Nusselt number

12. Flexibility effects depend on (multiple answers possible) (0.5p)

a. Torsion stiffness
b. Flexion stiffness
c. Torsion inertia
d. Point of action of the force

13. Flexibility effects are good for (0.5p)

a. Control surface efficiency
b. Lifting surface loads
c. A/C performance along the mission

14. Which sentence is correct? (multiple answers possible) (0.5p)

Discrete tuned Gust amplitude
a. increase with altitude above 7300m
b. decrease with altitude above 7300m
c. increase with Gust length
d. decrease with Gust length

15. For a given airspeed V which Gust will excite the structural modes at the highest
frequency? (0.5p)
a. Discrete Gust with a Half - Length H of 30ft
b. Discrete Gust with a Half - Length H of 350ft

Then Give its equation function of time and function of position. (0.5p)
U(t)=
U(x)=
16. Wing root bending in continuous turbulence is significantly sensitive to: (0.5p)
a. Rigid mode
b. Flexible mode
c. both

17. Wing tip bending in continuous turbulence is significantly sensitive to: (0.5p)
a. Rigid mode
b. Flexible mode
c. both

18. Forward fuselage acceleration in continuous turbulence is significantly sensitive to:

(0.5p)
a. Rigid mode
b. Flexible mode
c. Both

19. Which sentence is not true: (multiple answers possible) (0.5p)

a. The State space representation of one system is unique
b. The dynamic modes of a system are given by the eigen values of A matrix
c. The system is stable if all eigen value of A have a positive real part
d. State space model can be used only for time domain simulation

20. Which sentence is correct: (multiple answers possible) (0.5p)

a. State space model is not used for Response in turbulence
b. State space model is used for Preparation and exploitation of flight tests
c. State space model is used for comparison between models and measures
d. State space model is not used for Control, conception of flight control laws
e. State space model is used for Exportation of models

21. Given two different loading cases, a vertical static force and a vertical sinusoidal force of
the same amplitude of the static one both applied at the tip of a wing (0.5p)

a. The effect on the wing tip displacement in both of cases is the same for every
frequency of the Von Karman spectrum.
b. The effect of the sinusoidal force on the displacement can be higher when its
frequency it’s close to the one of the first bending mode of the wing
c. The wing tip it’s a node of the first wing bending mode. No deformation will be
observable in both of cases in anycase.
d. The effect on the displacement of the oscillating force is always smaller thanks to
the induced aerodynamic forces.

22. Consider a state space model with 3 input, 7 states and 4 outputs. Which of the following
sentences is not necessarily correct (0.5p)

a. The A matrix will be always a square matrix

b. The B matrix is a 7x3 matrix
c. The D matrix is a 4x3 null matrix
d. The C matrix is a 4x7 matrix
23. If you want to evaluate the effect of an oscillating surface on the comfort of the pilot
(0.5p)

a. You can place a sensor close to the cockpit and check the transfer functions
between the surface and accelerometers close to the cockpit
b. You ask to the pilot to perform rapid oscillations of the stick to check what happen
c. You need to know the deformation of the fuselage. Only by this way you will be
sure to place the sensor in the right place
d. The comfort of the pilot is not affected by an oscillation of the surfaces

24. Given the following state space model (0.5p)

.

What can say about the static solution (static means )

a. y 10
b. y 1
c. y 5
d. y 10

25. The following figure represents the transfer function between the Nz factor at the cockpit
and the deflections of the elevators. Considering that an Nz factor of 0.01g can bother
the pilot,
- which is the minimum elevators oscillation value that can give such Nz factor at the
cockpit? (0.5p)
- Does the situation get better if the frequency of this oscillation suddenly switch to 44
rad/s? (0.5p)
 26. In order to control a flexible mode which is the best way to isolate the flexible mode from
the rigid body motion (0.5p):
a. Measure the comfort level at the cockpit location
b. Measure the accelerations in two points, one where the flexible mode is
observable, one on a node, and make the difference
c. Rigid body motion is important for the aircraft maneuverability and can’t be
removed from the measurement

27. The dynamic loads in turbulence are depending (0.5p)

a. On the Von Karman spectrum but not on the transfer function between the wind
input and the load
b. On the transfer function between the wind input and the load but not on the Von
Karman spectrum
c. On both the transfer function between the wind input and the load and the Von
Karman spectrum

28. The Von Karman spectrum is (0.5p):

a. A model of the atmospheric turbulence expressed with its frequency content
b. A model of the atmospheric turbulence giving the time histories of turbulence
according to the flight point.
c. The model describing the vortex shedding

29. The Nyquist criterion (0.5p):

a. Gives no information about the phase compared to a bode
b. Permit to determine the stability of a closed loop knowing the open loop
c. Permit to compute the PSD of a signal

30. What does the Bode Diagram of a transfer function represent (0.5p)?
a. The amplitude and the phase of the sinusoidal response obtained considering a
step input capable to excite all the frequency content of the model
b. The amplitude and the phase of the sinusoidal response obtained considering
sinusoidal input of unitary amplitude
c. The energy content of a signal vs frequency in the SI system

Additional exercise
31. Give a state space representation of the following system given in Laplace domain: (2p)

With X=[Y1]; U = U; Y = [Y1;Y2];

- A = ?; B = ?; C = ?; D = ?
 32. Give the X, A and B matrixes of a state space model representing a mass/spring system:
(1.5p)

Mass: M ; Stifness K; Damping B; External forces u

- X=?

- A= ?

- B=?

33. From the stat space model computed in above question with damping B=0
compute the eigen values.
How many modes are there?
Give their frequencies and damping (1p)

Bonus question

34. Explain the 1st order aerodynamic influence, on the bending mode and control surface
mode (0.5)

35. What is the advantage of expressing flutter equation in modal basis (0,5p)

36. Which solutions can be used to solve the flutter due to the coupling between the bending
mode such as wing bending and the control surface rotation? (multiple answers possible)
(0,5p)
a. Change of rotary stiffness (by the use of hydraulic actuators)
b. The control surface balancing (modifying the CG of control surface by adding
mass)
c. The decrease of the rate limit on the commanded control surface rotation

37. Explain the chosen solutions in question N°36 (0,5p for each solution)