The evolving designs and requirements of aircraft structural components has recently created an increased interest in application of nonlinear modelling techniques. While the finite element (FE) methods already incorporate the necessary mechanics to model nonlinear behavior in structures, a major drawback is the considerably higher computation cost in comparison to the linear counterparts. Reduced order modelling (ROM) techniques offer a solution to counter this limitation. The work presented here is focused on the Koiter-Newton (K-N) model reduction technique which is based on a cubically nonlinear mechanical model. The K-N method utilizes existing FE models as a starting point to generate equivalent ROM parameters and thus, can be applied to obtain ROMs for generic structures. The model validity is assessed by conducting nonlinear dynamic analyses of two models with different boundary conditions. Nonlinear frequency response analyses are conducted to demonstrate hardening effects in both the test cases. Comparisons to full FE analyses show significant reduction in computational times.@en

Recent investigations pertaining to high aspect ratio wings have demonstrated the influence of geometric nonlinearities on structural and aeroelastic response when large deflections occur [1,2]. While utilization of nonlinear analyses techniques is beneficial for more realistic predictions of large deflection behaviour, it is accompanied with the drawback of high computational costs since finite element (FE) solvers are based on iterative predictor-corrector models. Nonlinear reduced order modelling can be an effective tool for conducting efficient analyses in such cases. In the proposed study we aim to exploit the recent developments in the Koiter-Newton (K-N) model reduction technique [3] for nonlinear dynamic response analysis of a high aspect ratio wing and thus, demonstrate the achievable reduction in computational costs in comparison to full FE simulations. The K-N reduction is a FE-based formulation which describes a system of nonlinear governing equations comprising quadratic and cubic stiffness terms. The higher order stiffness terms are evaluated as derivatives of the in-plane strain energy. To ensure that the effect of large rotations is accounted for, the reduced order model (ROM) is updated at fixed load intervals. Linear eigenmodes of the deformed structure are used to formulate the reduction subspace at the different load steps. The test structure chosen in this work is a variant of the Pazy wing [4] which is an experimental benchmark wing designed for nonlinear aeroelastic studies. The Pazy wing variant is based on the dimensions of the original design with minor modifications in the inner geometry. The FE model is constructed entirely using shell elements with 21,712 grid points and 130,272 degrees of freedom. For the initial validation, we conduct a nonlinear static analysis with a concentrated follower force, and compare it to FE solution from MSC Nastran. It is seen that by using just a single degree of freedom ROM, the nonlinear static solution is reproducible within a 2 % error margin for up to 40 % tip deflections. Subsequently, a nonlinear dynamic response analysis is conducted where the wing is subjected to large amplitude transient loads. The preliminary studies show a reduction in simulation time of over 95 % without significant loss in solution accuracy. References [1] Riso, Cristina, and Carlos E. Cesnik. "Low-Order Geometrically Nonlinear Aeroelastic Modeling and Analysis of the Pazy Wing Experiment." AIAA SciTech 2022 Forum. 2022. [2] Hilger, Jonathan, and Markus Raimund Ritter. "Nonlinear aeroelastic simulations and stability analysis of the Pazy wing aeroelastic benchmark." Aerospace 8.10 (2021): 308. [3] Sinha, Kautuk, et al. "Koiter–Newton Based Model Reduction for Large Deflection Analysis of Wing Structures." AIAA Journal (2023): 1-10. [4] Avin, Or, et al. "Experimental aeroelastic benchmark of a very flexible wing." AIAA Journal 60.3 (2022): 1745-1768. @en