Gross, Joseph R.Joseph R.GrossWeltin, UweUweWeltin2020-10-022020-10-022014International Forum on Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics (IFASD 2013) : Bristol, United Kingdom, 24 - 26 June 2013 / [Royal Aeronautical Society]. - Red Hook, NY : Curran, 2014. - Vols. 1-3 (2014)http://hdl.handle.net/11420/7460In structural dynamics applications, the spectral finite element method (SFEM) can be used to reduce computational expense while calculating spectrally exact solutions to vibration problems. An approach to the application of this method to aeroelastic analysis of light sport aircraft is proposed and investigated. In doing so, certain drawbacks of SFEM are overcome, such as the lack of separate structural operators and the increased difficulty in extracting normal mode shapes from models, which had previously hindered the use of this method in aeroelasticity. A test case in which SFEM is applied to the aeroelastic analysis of a light sport aircraft is used to demonstrate the proposed method. Computational models of the aircraft are derived using SFEM and FEM, then updated to match frequency response data measured in a ground vibration test. Model updating is carried out using a hybrid computational intelligence technique based on the Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm (NMS) in combination with particle swarm optimization (PSO). An accurate match is shown between measured and computed modal results. Modal data from the FE and SFE models is compared to examine differences in accuracy. A flutter calculation is performed with normal modes of the test aircraft found using both methods in order to investigate differences in aeroelastic stability resulting from model deviation. The applicability of the spectral finite element method to aeroelastic analysis of light sport aircraft is assessed ultimately based on a comparison of structural and aeroelastic results found using the standard and spectral finite element methods.enAeroelastic analysisGround vibration testingSpectral finite element methodStructural dynamicsPhysikTechnikIngenieurwissenschaftenConference PaperOther