Experimental Identification of an Aircraft Piccolo Tube Exhibiting Nonsmooth Nonlinearities

Piccolo tubes are parts of aircraft wings anti-icing system and consist of titanium pipes inserted into the internal structure of the slat. Due to thermal expansion, clearances between the tube and its support are unavoidable, and cause the overall system to exhibit highly nonlinear behaviour, resulting from impacts and friction. This paper aims the complete nonlinear vibration analysis of an aircraft Piccolo tube, from measurements and identification to a thorough understanding of the dynamics and improvements of the
design.