Session: 02-03-02: Aeroacoustics, Dynamic Loads, Wave Propagations, Response, Vibration, Control, and Alleviation of Aerospace Structures and Vehicles

Paper Number: 183218

183218 - Modal Parameter Extraction via Propeller-Driven Vibration Testing 

Ground vibration testing (GVT) remains a cornerstone of aircraft certification. In practice, it often demands complex, weeks-long campaigns with intricate set-ups, making the process costly and time-consuming. Recent developments in materials and airframe design also remind us that the underlying dynamics are not invariably linear: nonlinearities may arise through interactions between subcomponents and from geometric effects. These effects are not treated here, as civil aircraft operate, under typical conditions, within a regime that is well approximated as linear.

To improve efficiency, several alternatives to conventional GVT have been explored. Among these, taxi vibration testing (TVT) has attracted attention over the past two decades. TVT exploits the aircraft taxiing on a runway or taxiway—surfaces that exhibit inherent irregularities—as an input for dynamic excitation. Two variants are commonly considered: (i) towing-based taxiing and (ii) active taxiing using on-board propulsion.

The present work adopts the principle of operational modal analysis (OMA), as in TVT, but applies it to a stationary aircraft excited by operating propellers. We therefore consider the recently introduced propeller-induced vibration testing (PVT) for the extraction of modal parameters.

To examine feasibility, a representative slender-wing model is developed and equipped with an electric motor driving a propeller mounted outboard of the wing root. The objective is to quantify how propeller-generated excitation influences the identified modal parameters and, in turn, to assess the initial prospects of extending the method to complete aircraft.

Ultimately, the aim is to broaden OMA-based ground-test capability by enabling reliable modal parameter extraction using PVT.

Presenting Author: Gabriele Dessena Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Presenting Author Biography: Gabriele Dessena is an Assistant Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain, where he has served since September 2023. He holds an MEng in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Southampton (UK, 2019) and a PhD in Aerospace from Cranfield University (UK, 2023). His research focuses on structural dynamics, with particular emphasis on its application to aeronautical and aerospace structures for structural health monitoring, modal identification, and the detection of nonlinear behaviour. His additional interests include surrogate-based optimisation—especially in the context of finite element model updating—as well as the design and analysis of unmanned aircraft and microsatellites. He is an Associate of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a member of the Italian Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics (A.I.D.A.A.), and a Chartered Industrial Engineer registered with the Association of Engineers of the Province of Sassari, Italy. Since 2025, he has been a visiting lecturer at the University of the West of England, UK.