Experimental classical flutter results of a composite advanced turboprop model

Experimental results are presented that show the effects of blade pitch angle and number of blades on classical flutter of a composite advanced turboprop (propfan) model. An increase in the number of blades on the rotor or the blade pitch angle is destablizing which shows an aerodynamic coupling or cascade effect between blades. The flutter came in suddenly and all blades vibrated at the same frequency but at different amplitudes and with a common predominant phase angle between consecutive blades. This further indicates aerodynamic coupling between blades. The flutter frequency was between the first two blade normal modes, signifying an aerodynamic coupling between the normal modes. Flutter was observed at all blade pitch angles from small to large angles-of-attack of the blades. A strong blade response occurred, for four blades at the two-per-revolution (2P) frequency, when the rotor speed was near the crossing of the flutter mode frequency and the 2P order line. This is because the damping is low near the flutter condition and the interblade phase angle of the flutter mode and the 2P response are the same.