Aerodynamic loads analysis for a maneuvering aircraft in transonic flow

Abstract

The objective of this research is to investigate the available approach for calculating critical loads of a maneuvering flexible aircraft in transonic flows. A time-domain state-space form aeroelastic model for maneuver loads analysis is developed firstly, in which unsteady aerodynamic influence coefficient matrices are generated based on the overset field-panel method, and rational aerodynamic approximation are constructed using Roger’s approximation. Then maneuver loads analysis for a transport aircraft in pitch are carried out, producing a continuous time history of the airframe states and loads acting on the components of the aircraft. Simultaneously, the effects of the structural deformation of the aircraft on maneuver loads are obtained. The results indicate that the peak loads acting on the wing and horizontal tail decrease 5.1% and 10.6% respectively, while those on the elevator increase 16.2%, due to the structural deformation.