Analysis of a nonlinear aeroelastic system with parametric uncertainties using Polynomial Chaos Expansion

Aeroelastic stability remains an important concern for the design of modern structures such as wind turbine rotors, more so with the use of increasingly flexible blades. A nonlinear aeroelastic system has been considered in the present study with parametric uncertainties. Uncertainties can occur due to any inherent randomness in the system or modeling limitations, and so forth. Uncertainties can play a significant role in the aeroelastic stability predictions in a nonlinear system. The analysis has been put in a stochastic framework, and the propagation of system uncertainties has been quantified in the aeroelastic response. A spectral uncertainty quantification tool called Polynomial Chaos Expansion has been used. A projection-based nonintrusive Polynomial Chaos approach is shown to be much faster than its classical Galerkin method based counterpart. Traditional Monte Carlo Simulation is used as a reference solution. Effect of system randomness on the bifurcation behavior and the flutter boundary has been presented. Stochastic bifurcation results and bifurcation of probability density functions are also discussed.