Unsteady aerodynamics and flutter of propfans using a three-dimensional Full-Potential Solver

A full-potential solver coupled with a linear structural dynamics model is used to calculate the unsteady aerodynamics and aeroelasticity of propfans. The solver allows calculations for arbitrary interblade phase angles. Results are presented for two propfan configurations. Good agreement is seen between the full-potential results and results from linear theory since the flow is subsonic and the thickness of the propfan blades is small. Some difficulty is encountered due to wave reflections from outer computational boundaries; however, this does not affect the results in the range of frequencies of aeroelastic interest.