Aeroelastic mode decomposition framework and mode selection mechanism in fluid–membrane interaction

Abstract In this study, we present a global Fourier mode decomposition framework for unsteady fluid–structure interaction. We apply the framework to isolate and extract the aeroelastic modes arising from a coupled three-dimensional fluid–membrane system. We investigate the frequency synchronization between the vortex shedding and the structural vibration via mode decomposition analysis. We explore the role of flexibility in the aeroelastic mode selection and perform a systematic comparison of flow features among a rigid flat wing, a rigid cambered wing and a flexible membrane. The camber effect can enlarge the pressure suction area on the membrane surface and suppress the turbulent intensity, compared to the rigid flat wing counterpart. With the aid of our mode decomposition technique, we find that the dominant structural mode exhibits a chordwise second and spanwise first mode at different angles of attack. The structural natural frequency corresponding to this mode is estimated using an approximate analytical formula. By examining the dominant frequency of the coupled system, we show that the dominant membrane vibration mode is selected via the frequency lock-in between the dominant vortex shedding frequency and the structural natural frequency. From the fluid modes and the mode energy spectra at α = 2 0 ∘ and 25°, the aeroelastic modes corresponding to the non-integer frequency components lower than the dominant frequency are observed, which are associated with the bluff body vortex shedding instability. The non-periodic aeroelastic behaviors observed at higher angles of attack are related to the interaction between aeroelastic modes caused by the frequency lock-in and the bluff-body-like vortex shedding. Using the mode decomposition analysis, we suggest a feedback cycle for flexible membrane wings undergoing synchronized self-sustained vibration. This feedback cycle reveals that the dominant aeroelastic modes are selected through the mode and frequency synchronization during fluid–membrane interaction to exhibit similar modal shapes in the membrane vibration and the pressure pulsation.