Geman Aerospace Center (DLR)

Institute of Aeroelasticity

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Technical articles

June 16, 2025

Flutter or Buffeting – Are They Really That Different?

When aircraft begin to vibrate in flight, things get uncomfortable – or even dangerous in the worst case. Two of the most well-known types of such oscillations are flutter and buffeting. Traditionally, they have always been viewed as two distinct phenomena. But our current research shows that this strict separation doesn’t hold up under closer scrutiny.

July 18, 2025

From Pressure Measurements to Flutter Analysis: How We Investigate the Aeroelastic Behavior of Blades in the Non-Rotating Annular Test Facility (Ringgitterprüfstand Göttingen, RPG)

In our last technical post from the “Article series Non-Rotating Annular Cascade Test Facility”, we explained why aeroelastic investigations in wind tunnels are crucial for understanding and preventing flutter – and how the Non-Rotating Annular Test Facility plays a central role in analyzing the aeroelastic behavior of turbomachinery blades. In this article, we focus on the practical side: How are pressures and blade movements measured? And how can we derive aerodynamic damping and flutter risks from them?

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Departments of the Institute

Department Aeroelastic Experiments

The department “Aeroelastic Experiments” is committed to the planning, realization and analysis of challenging experiments in wind tunnels.

Department Aeroelastic Simulation

The Aeroelastic Simulation Department focuses on the numerical analysis of aeroelastic problems. Investigations for transport aircraft, small aircraft, turbomachines and rotorcraft are performed in close cooperation with the experimental activities of the institute.

Department Loads Analysis and Design

The Loads Analysis and Aeroelastic Design Department is concerned with questions that arise in the context of aircraft design with regard to aeroelastic properties or aeroelastic requirements. In addition, the Department deals with the subject of aircraft loads ‘in general’ (for example, for design tasks) and in-depth consideration of dynamic loads (among others, those due to gusts).

Department Structural Dynamics and System Identification

The Department of Structural Dynamics and System Identification deals with the dynamics and vibrations of structures in aeronautics and space travel. Through numerical analyzes and experimental investigations, essential mechanisms of the vibrations are recognized and cause-effect relationships are understood.

Department Control of Aeroelastic Systems

The Control of Aeroelastic Systems department is concerned with the design of control functions for the reduction of structural loads, aeroservoelastic stabilization and the improvement of passenger comfort.

Careers & Education

Information for Students

From internships and practical semesters during your studies, to bachelor's and master's theses, to graduate programs for doctoral students in a wide variety of research fields - the DLR offers a wide range of opportunities for young academics.

Job vacancies

Start your mission at DLR! Whether in science, technology or training – exciting tasks for a wide range of talents. The DLR careers portal offers current vacancies and information on how to get started.