Irkut’s SSJ-New, the successor to the Superjet 100, is undergoing aeroelasticity testing as part of the preparation for the aircraft’s maiden flight.
An initial round of flutter tests was carried out in June at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute in Moscow.
This testing has been conducted with a model of the aircraft including its Aviadvigatel PD-8 engines, one of the major modifications from the original Superjet 100.
“Our main aim is to predict the occurrence of flutter in the SSJ-New over the entire flight speed range,” says the institute’s deputy head of aeroelasticity standards, Mikhail Pronin.
He adds that the research will enable the aircraft’s manufacturer to “guarantee the elimination” of the phenomenon.
The institute says the tests involved simulating cruise flight at up to 485kt, while varying such parameters as the rigidity of engine attachment, actuation, wing loading from fuel, and fuselage loads.
“This made it possible to understand how the flutter characteristics change with different aircraft configurations,” it states.
Results show an “absence of flutter” over the entire range of speed and parameter variations analysed, it adds, but the institute is set to continue examining the stability of the SSJ-New’s design.
