Dynamic Response of Highly Flexible Flying Wings

• Published in: AIAA journal 2011-02, Vol.49 (2), p.324-339
• Main Authors: Su, Weihua, Cesnik, Carlos E. S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerodynamics; Applied fluid mechanics; Applied sciences; Computer science; control theory; systems; Control theory. Systems; Design; Effects; Exact sciences and technology; Finite element analysis; Flexibility; Fluid dynamics; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Physics; Robotics; Solid mechanics; Structural and continuum mechanics; Vibration, mechanical wave, dynamic stability (aeroelasticity, vibration control...)
• ISSN: 0001-1452; 1533-385X
• DOI: 10.2514/1.J050496

This paper presents a method to model and analyze the coupled nonlinear flight dynamics and aeroelasticity of highly flexible flying wings. A low-order nonlinear strain-based finite element framework is used, which is capable of capturing the fundamental impact of geometrically nonlinear effects in a computationally effective formulation target for preliminary vehicle design and control evaluation. A simple model to capture the change in the wing torsional stiffness due to skin wrinkling arising from large bending curvatures is proposed. Finite-state unsteady subsonic aerodynamics with simplified stall models are incorporated to complete the aeroelastic representation of flying wings. In studying the flying wing dynamic response, a spatially and temporally distributed discrete gust model is introduced. With the proposed formulations, numerical studies are conducted based on a representative highly flexible flying wing subjected to finite disturbances. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]