On multi–body flight dynamics of an aircraft with semi-aeroelastic hinge

Modarres, A.H., Maltsev, V., Li, Z., Clifford, D. and Da Ronch, A. (2024) On multi–body flight dynamics of an aircraft with semi-aeroelastic hinge. In International Forum on Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics (IFASD 2024). 14 pp .

Abstract

The aerodynamic efficiency of an aircraft can be improved by adopting wings with a very high
aspect ratio. However, the limitation to the wing size imposed by airport regulation and the
increased structural weight required to support the extra aerodynamic loads produced by high
aspect ratio wings need to be carefully addressed. To solve these issues, the concept of aircraft
with semi-aeroelastic hinges which enables floating wingtips has been recently proposed and
has attracted the attention of many researchers. However, this study provides new insights
into this idea from the aspect of constraint loads at the hinges. In this work, using a multi–
body dynamic simulation and a nonlinear quasi–steady aerodynamic model, an aircraft with
articulated wings has been mathematically modelled, with the aircraft being composed of three rigid parts. This multi–body formulation enables one to account for finite rotations of rigid folding wing tips in addition to the traditional flight dynamic modes. Despite having a relatively small folded wing tip mass in the case study investigated here some changes have been observed in the flight dynamic behavior of the aircraft. A systematic study was carried out for different values of hinge flare angle and wingtip mass. It was found that the amount of forces and moments acting at the hinges is quite considerable and should be carefully accounted for during the preliminary design stage. In the presence of a side-slip angle, the asymmetric transient forces and moments at hinges can lead to larger deviation from the initial flight path.

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Contributors

Author: A. Da Ronch

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